Fate Demon Fox
by nomorenamesleft
Summary: Slowly, I recovered from the light. The first thing I saw was several orbs of light hovering around my Servant. She had pink hair done in short twintails, a pair of fox ears and a fluffy fox tail. She was wearing a blue, traditional ero-kimono, geta and a mirror on a necklace around her neck. And she was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. "I ask of thee, thou art my Master?"
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Stay Night

* * *

I walked through the corridors of my massive household without any particular destination in mind. Right now, I was just waiting for grandfather to call for me.

"Kousuke-sama."

I turned around to see Sayuri, one of the maids working in the household and the one in charge of me since I was little. She was only six years older than me, but her mother helped my mother watch over me when I was a child and Sayuri gradually took over as she grew up.

"What is it, Sayuri?"

"Yamakotsu-sama says that the preparations are complete and has requested for your presence."

"Alright, got it. Thanks Sayuri, you should go take a break."

Sayuri smiled and bowed.

"Thank you, Kousuke-sama."

After watching her leave, I turned in the opposite direction and started walking.

Before I go any further, perhaps I should introduce myself. I am Yagami Kousuke, future 13th head and the heir of the Yagami family. The Yagami family are an ancestral family of Japanese magi, and we have been in existence for at least 800 years, since the end of the Heian Period. Despite being such an ancestral magi family, the Magus Association takes little notice of us for two reasons. The first was because Western magi generally look down upon us Eastern magi. The second was because our family does not possess a Magic Crest. That's right, we don't have one. The main form of our family Thaumaturgy is a derivative of Houjutsu, which itself is the predominant form of Magecraft in Japan. It is ideologically incompatible with Western Magecraft, which gives us another reason to be looked down upon.

While in general, Magecraft is the artificial reenactment of a mystery or miracle, the Japan the 1st head lived in was in a state of war, and therefore used it as a weapon, and thus wouldn't be categorized as a Houjutsushi, who exorcise spirits through sutras, prayers and faith. In his life he created two sets of 99 spells, but while their theory and methods of usage differed greatly from Western schools Magecraft, the concept was still the same: unknowingly, the 1st head engraved his system of Thaumaturgical Theory into the world and used the rules of that system to operate his spells.

Eventually, he, his wife and his followers settled and built a compound, and that was where my family had been living up till modern times. Soon, he realized that the children he bore had magical potential just as he did, and decided to educate them in that field as well, completely oblivious to the Western tradition that a family of magi can only have one magical heir. But he soon found out, although they were able to learn his spells to some extent, they just could not reach the same level as him. And even when they used it, it was not as strong as he, for the more people draw from it at the same time, the more Magecraft's capacities become mundane. But as the generations progressed, the decrease in power of the spells grew smaller and smaller, until the time of the 7th head, where the decrease had grown insignificant and had remained constant.

Almost all our Thaumaturgy is recorded on scrolls and books as well as by blood, word of mouth and teachings from the elders. That is one of the reasons our family has grown so large, since our Thaumaturgy is easily passed down to the next generation of magi. In fact, I could scour the whole mansion and find a Yagami that has barely any relation to me. Another advantage of not having a Magic Crest is that each and every family member can do their own research to further their own special brand of Magecraft. However, unlike most magi, our family members are not that interested, seeing Magecraft more as a tool to be used, so we usually stick to two sets of 99 spells invented by the 1st head, since they are extremely useful and versatile. In that field, I guess if we are going by the Western method of categorizing magi, we would be 'Spellcasters'.

Another interesting trait of our family is that we have produced the largest number of Average Ones in a single magi family to date (probably). Any magus born in my family has a good chance of being an Average One, and even if they weren't, there was a high chance of them having an uncommon elemental alignment, usually affected by their Origin.

However, despite our stellar bloodlines, never once has a magus in our family been selected to participate in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War founded by the Einzbern, Makiri and Tohsaka families for the past 200 years. So, imagine the excitement in the family when one morning I woke up with three Command Spells in the shape of a mitsudomoe on the back of my right hand.

And thus, preparations for my participation in the Grail War began. For the past month, the whole family had been busy in a frenzied rush, making preparations. And the most ridiculous part was, I wasn't even allowed to help at all. From the drawing of the summoning circle to the preparation of the catalyst, I wasn't even allowed to do anything. So I just practiced my swordsmanship and Magecraft for the past month, making sure I was completely prepared and in top form.

As for the catalyst, I would be using a family treasure that has been kept for centuries. A large shard of stone from the Sesshoseki, which was rumoured to kill anyone who touches it (which made me wonder how my ancestors handled it in the first place). After it was destroyed, most of the fragments transformed into kitsune and inari, but not all of them. And with it, I was going to summon one of Japan's Three Great Monsters, who was also a facet of Amaterasu.

If the latter was true, then my Servant's power would definitely increase. Other than the fact that my Servant would be summoned and fighting on Japanese soil, my family are actually very distant descendants of Amaterasu. That was the claim anyway, and even if it was true it has become somewhat of a tale in modern times. And after our family's blood had mixed with 'another' blood somewhere about 500 years ago, that blood grew even fainter. I won't go into details about that 'another' blood though, I'll leave that for another time.

Finally, I slid open the door aside as I reached the large, darkened room.

"Kousuke…you have arrived?"

My grandfather, Yagami Yamakotsu, sat to the side of the wall with a few other prominent members of the family, including my parents, Yagami Takeshi and Mikoto, but excluding my sisters.

"Yes, ojii-sama, otou-sama."

"Good. Now get into position and I shall tell you when to begin."

I turned and walked to the large summoning circle in the middle of the room, drawn with the donated blood of the most important members of the family, including myself. As I waited for grandfather's instructions, I looked at myself. I was dressed in the traditional garb of the family's head. A black men's kimono and a scarlet haori which had my family crest, a black mitsudomoe on its back.

"Kousuke, you may begin."

I lifted my right hand in front of me as my Command Spells started glowing. Gradually, small gusts of wind started blowing in the enclosed room. Activating all of my high quality Magic Circuits, I began chanting the incantation used for summoning a Servant. Not in English or German, but in Japanese.

"so ni gin to tetsu. so ni ishi to keiyaku no taikou. so ni wa waga daishi Schweinorg.

oritatsu kaze ni wa kabe wo. shihou no mon wa toji, oukan yori ide, oukoku ni itaru sansaro wa junkan seyo.

tojiyo (midase). tojiyo (midase). tojiyo (midase). tojiyo (midase). tojiyo (midase)

kurikaesu tsudo ni godo.

tada, mitasareru toki wo hakyaku suru.

-tsugeru.

nanji no mi wa waga moto ni, waga unmei wa nanji no ken ni.

seihai no yorube ni shitagai, kono i, kono kotowari ni shitagau naraba kotae yo.

chikai wa koko ni. ware wa tokoyo subete no zen to naru mono, ware wa tokoyo subete no aku wo shiku mono.

nanji sandai no kotodama wo matou shichiten, yukushi no wa yori kitate, tenbin no mamorite yo!"

The circle glowed a bright red as I poured more and more of my prana into in as I turned the imaginary faucet inside me to the limit. I had to do this summoning perfectly, for I wouldn't just be fighting for myself, for the pride of the whole family!

"—"

I muttered something under my breath to prevent the others from hearing it. As my prana output experienced a sudden, massive spike, a bright flash appeared in the summoning circle at that very moment.

"!"

Slowly, my eyes recovered from the blinding light. The first thing I saw was several orbs of light hovering around my Servant. She had pink hair done in short twintails, a pair of fox ears and a fluffy fox tail. She was wearing a blue, traditional ero-kimono, geta and a mirror on a necklace around her neck. And she was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful.

As the orbs of light faded away, I walked towards my Servant and as she opened her eyes, I was instantly captivated by them.

"I, Servant Caster, have answered your call. I ask of thee…art thou my Master?"

Slowly, I lowered myself to one knee to kneel on it before my Servant, much like a knight would. All the others were also bowing from their seats, but in the Japanese style.

"Yes. I, Yagami Kousuke, future 13th head and next heir of the Yagami family have summoned you, Servant Caster, Tamamo-no-Mae as my Servant.

XXX

That night, I sat in my room, thinking of what to pack. I would be leaving the day after tomorrow, because apparently my family were going to throw me a celebratory party tomorrow night and give me support, something like that. Right after I summoned Caster, I sank to the floor in exhaustion from exertion and spending too much prana, and I had to be helped back to my room to recover. During that period, grandfather and the others in the room requested an audience from Caster. It has been an hour since then. Suddenly, I heard three knocks as someone knocked on the wooden frame of my sliding door.

"Enter.'

The door slid open as Tamamo bounded into my room and bounced onto my bed. I sat in a more formal way and faced her.

"I'm done, goshuujin-sama! Those old geezers just wouldn't stop talking, but it was some important stuff, so I guess it can't be helped! Nice room you have!"

Well, it was. Despite the fact that the mansion was as traditional as it could get, almost every single room belonging to the current generation was significantly modern. My room for example, had a double bed, a desk with laptop and schoolbooks, a small flat-screen TV under the desk which I use for games, a DVD player to go with the TV, an air-conditioner, some posters on the walls, and two bookshelves full of books, manga, DVDs and a few figurines. Just the regular room of your regular 18 year old boy. Nothing to indicate magic at all.

"Thank you, Tamamo-sama."

Caster stared at me.

"You're calling me that too? Is everyone in this mansion this formal? What year is it?"

"Well, I expect ojii-sama told you about our family and our roots?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Then you know that we are incredibly distant, but still descendants of Amaterasu. Since you're a facet of Amaterasu, you're our ancestor and my whole family reveres you with utmost respect."

As I said that, Tamamo grew a bit sad.

"But I don't want to be revered, I just want to be treated normally…"

"Pardon?"

"Ah! Don't worry, goshuujin-sama! Forget what I just said, ahaha!"

"Tamamo-sama, just call me Kousuke. No matter how it may seem, I am not worthy of being your Master."

Honestly, although I did respect her, I was actually a bit afraid of her, because, well…I'm not a very social person. Excluding my family, I tend to stay away from other people, and don't have many friends either. Also, since I attend and all boys school, I've grown really, really nervous around girls and women. I usually don't even dare to look at them. So, it was easier for me to treat Tamamo like a revered ancestor instead of a normal female or even a Servant.

"Mou, what are you saying! Fine, but if you want me to call you that you have to call me Caster or Tamamo! Without the -sama!"

"Alright, I understand, Tamamo."

"Good, now sit on the bed."

I sat on the bed, facing Tamamo. She cleared her throat.

"Right now, I want to work out the ground rules for the war, and you are to obey them completely, understood?"

"Yes."

"Good! I have two orders. First, you shall start treating me like an ordinary person!"

…what?

"Tama-"

"Second! Stop treating me formally! Honestly, I can't stand all these formalities! So you shall just act like I'm just like your family, or your wife, got it!"

I sighed. There wasn't really any other way to handle her I guess.

"Ok, fine. I'm looking forward to working with you, Tamamo."

I stretched my hand out for a handshake, but instead she threw herself at me and wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Yaay! I promise I'll be a good wife to you, Kou~su~ke!"

"Wha-"

Suddenly someone knocked on the door and Sayuri poked her head in.

"Kousuke-sama, dinner is ready."

Then she caught sight of Tamamo on top of me on the bed. There was a moment's silence, and slowly, the door closed.

"I'm very sorry to have interrupted…"

"Wait! No! This isn't what it looks like! Sayuriiiiiii!"

XXX

The next day passed with me getting more acquainted with Tamamo. Other than talking about each other, we also began making plans for the war. Strategy is one of the most important facets of war, one which I admittedly had not really studied. Most of the strategies I know of are from Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi, but these were for full-scale warfare, not one-on-one battles. Soon, night rolled around, and I donned my traditional clothes once more. Then, I led Tamamo to the main hall.

"Where are going now, Kousuke?"

"We're having my leaving ceremony."

"Let me guess, more formal stuff?"

I smiled.

"Haha, nope."

I slid open the doors and was instantly greeted with loud bursts of noise, laughter and singing. Most of the family were already present. Everyone was partying and generally having a good time. Maids and shikigami were rushing around bringing adults beer and sake and as for the kids, juice and soda. Food was also being devoured at a frantic rate. Heck, the party even spilled out into the main compound. My family could be really formal at times, but damn, they sure knew how to party.

"Oi, Kousuke's here!"

"You're late!"

"Tamamo-chan too!"

"We are so going to win the war!"

"Nii-san, over here!"

Recognizing that one voice over all the others, Tamamo and I made our way to the head of the room where my sisters were.

"It's great that you got chosen, Kousuke!"

"Thanks, aneue."

That was Yagami Ayumi, my sister who was 3 years older than me and eldest in the family. She was the only member of my siblings who did not have sufficient Magic Circuits to become a magus. However, instead of forcing herself to learn Magecraft, she willingly withdrew from the world of magi and leads a normal life. Unlike other magi families, we don't look down upon or mistreat family members who have no magic potential. We treat them like normal family members and love them just as much.

"Great job, onii-san! Make sure you kick everyone's butts in the war!"

And that was my younger twin sister, Yagami Kousuki. With a 'Storm' element (we classify elements differently in our family), she was an exceptional magus in her own right, although her skills with the sword are not as good as mine though. Just then, I felt a tug at my sleeve.

"Onii-chan."

Ah, that was Yagami Kanade, my younger sister by one year. She was an oddity in my family, because she had albinism. Instead of black hair and eyes most of us had, she has long white hair and amber eyes. Her Magic Circuits, although not as good as mine or Kousuki's, were still of good quality. But, her body was weaker than normal, which resulted in our family physician deciding that Kanade should not engage in swordplay, but just a little normal sword practice to keep her healthy.

"Good luck."

I smiled. Kanade was always quiet and shy. When we were little, she would just follow me wherever I went. She still does it now, sometimes.

"Ok, I guess almost everyone's here."

I stood up and raised my sakazuki. Instantly, the whole room fell quiet as everyone focused on me.

"Everyone, I only have one thing to say. We are going to win this war!"

The moment those words left my lips, the whole room erupted in raucous cheering, three times louder than before. Brimming with confidence and excitement, my leaving ceremony began.

XXX

-Caster-

-The next day-

Today was the day we would leave for Fuyuki. Yesterday night was fun. Everyone ate, drank, sang bad karaoke and enjoyed themselves. And after that I crawled into Kousuke's bed and tried to get into his pants, but he woke up and shoved me off while yelling. It was so much fun, it was just like I was alive again.

"Goshuujin-sama, where are you? Mou…"

I was wandering through the whole compound, looking for my Master who disappeared a few minutes ago. As I wandered, I let my memories drift to my past. And as I did, a small smile came to my lips.

"You did well…Masahiro…I'm so proud of you…ah, there he is! Kousu…ke?"

I saw the back of my Master, and he was standing in a …graveyard? Silently, I made my way to Kousuke's side and faced the grave he stood in front of.

"Yagami…Kenji."

"He was my older brother by five years," started Kousuke. "He was an incredible magus and swordsman. I respected and looked up to him. He was the best older brother ever. Kind and caring, but strict when it comes to training. In fact, if he did not help me in my swordsmanship and thaumaturgy training when I was little, I doubt my skills would be as good as they are now."

"I see…"

"Kenji nii-sama would have been the family head instead of me, but then…the incident happened."

"…what happened?"

"I was 8 and he was 13. There was a report that a vampire, a Dead Apostle had taken refuge in a nearby apartment building. Onii-sama insisted on investigating, but everyone refused. In the end, he sneaked out at night to go there, and I followed him. He found me out real quick though, but in the end he let me follow. When we arrived we ran into the vampire's minions, Ghouls. Kenji killed all of them with my help. When we reached the top, Kenji suddenly bound me with a Bakudo spell and I watched from the corner as he fought the Dead Apostle. In the end, Kenji nii-sama won by a hair's breadth, and he was completely exhausted. As his spell wore off, I was about to run to his side when suddenly, 'it' appeared."

"What?"

"An Apostle Ancestor. At least, that's what he claimed to be."

"What?! No!?"

"In that instant, Kenji nii-sama stood up again. He told me to run home as fast as I could to inform the adults. Then, I had to run to the nearby Christian church and tell them about the incident, which I found strange at that time, but it sort of made sense. They have exorcists and holy water, I thought. But when I was halfway home, the whole top half of the apartment exploded."

Kousuke stopped for a while. Then, he continued.

"When we went back there, we found Kenji nii-sama's body amidst the rubble, and miraculously with no bite marks. So, we brought him back and gave him a proper burial.

He fell silent.

"So…is your wish for the Grail to bring him back?"

"No…I have long accepted the fact that Kenji nii-sama is dead. There is no point in doing so. Since childhood, I have also believed that it is taboo to bring the dead back to life. However, I swore over onii-sama's grave that with my own two hands, I will find that Ancestor and kill it until it is nothing but ash."

I looked at my Master in awe. Right now, the Kousuke I was seeing was completely different from the one I knew. This was a man full of determination, someone who would do anything to reach his goal.

"Tamamo…let's win this war."

"Yes, I'll do my best! I promise I'll be a good wife to you!"

"A good wife huh…I guess that isn't too bad."

Suddenly, I blinked as a hand came down and rubbed my head. I looked at my Master to see him smiling at me.

"Let's go, Caster. We have a war to fight!"

"Yes, Master!"

* * *

Aaaaaaaaaaaand so it's done! A fluffy fanfic of epic proportions! Tamamo really needs more love in my opinion! In the form of fanfics and doujins, of course! I'll try to squeeze out more, but I really have a lot more to work on, counting this I have five active fics and two potential fics in the making! Well, that's all for now, capitalism, ho!

Edit: Yeah, now that I've studied more on the Nasuverse, I decided to edit the descriptive parts of this chapter, mainly where the family Thaumaturgy is explained. Am working on the latest chapter now, don't worry, I'm still alive. Wouldn't want one of the few Tamamo-centric fics on this site to die out www


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Day 1**

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Stay Night

* * *

-Kousuke-

-Train-

"The human world really has changed a lot…"

I looked to my right to see Tamamo gazing out of the window. We had boarded the train for Fuyuki in the morning and we were now headed there. Although many people would have assumed Tamamo was cosplaying, I got her to wear a set of normal clothes (which she willingly did) to attract less attention, since I knew she didn't want to go into her spirit form. And now, wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of jeans, she had also hidden her ears and tail as well as let her hair down. She suddenly looked so…human, than I couldn't stop thinking of her as one.

"The next stop is, Fuyuki, Fuyuki. The next stop is Fuyuki, Fuyuki."

Hearing the announcement, I put my Hadō spellbook away. Of course, all of the family's ancient texts on Magecraft were recorded on scrolls. My grandfather took the liberty to demand that all non-forbidden Magecraft were to be recorded digitally and printed into convenient handbooks for the ease of the newer generation, to preserve them properly in case of damage as well as to make learning Magecraft more interesting. Who wants to study by poring over tons of dusty scrolls and heavy books anyway.

"Come on, get up, the train will be arriving soon."

"Hai~"

Soon, the train alighted. Grabbing our luggage, we left the train, then the station and started walking.

"So, where will we be staying, Master?"

Before coming here, I told Tamamo that she had to refer to me as Master and I had to refer to her as Caster the second we set foot in this city. Secrecy is everything.

"I considered two places, both of which my family have some connections to. The first is the Fujimura yakuza family, but I didn't choose that one. There was a third, but because of the man's death, we no longer considered it. Instead, we'll be staying at the Ryuudouji. The main reason is that it's located right on top of one of Fuyuki's main leylines. Perfect for you to make your temple."

"I see. Master really thought this out!"

"Of course I did."

-Ryuudouji-

The second both of us stepped within the boundaries of the hill, we could instantly feel massive flows of prana.

"Can you feel it, Master?"

"Yes."

"It's interesting. The hill actually has its own Bounded Field. What it essentially does is it denies any form of spiritual being from entering its boundaries. However, the only break in the field is the stairs, which means-"

"-Servants can only reach the temple by climbing the stairs."

"Exactly. But I think that once I meld my own Bounded Field with it and it has accepted me, I should be able to bypass the hill's Bounded Field."

"You can do that?"

"Umu…now that I'm further in, I think it won't be easy. Even now I can feel a faint force pushing me back, but because of who I actually am, it seems to be letting me in a bit more."

"Local legend says that a dragon sleeps in the lake behind the temple. Maybe if we appease it?"

"Ehehe, Master can be silly sometimes, there's no dragon here. Even if there were, it would be long gone by now."

After some time, we reached the top of the temple. There, we saw a young man with dark blue hair and glasses sweeping the compound.

"Excuse me, are you a monk here?"

He stopped sweeping and looked at us.

"Actually, I'm a monk in training. But never mind that, how can I help you?"

"I'm looking for the head monk. He should be informed of our arrival?"

"Oh, so you're the guests we're expecting? My name is Ryuudou Issei. I'm the son of the head monk here."

"I am Yagami Kousuke. And this is…"

"Just call me Misukume. I'm his fiancée."

I cringed at the word fiancée. Oh well.

"Misukume? Have I heard that name somewhere before?"

"Of course not, don't be silly~"

Even as he brought us to see the head monk, he still seemed wary of Caster. It seemed that he had a slight innate ability to sense spirits or something similar ability.

"Alright, here we are."

"Thanks, Issei-san."

"No problem."

-Some time later-

After talking to the head monk, he brought us to a medium-sized Japanese-style guest building separate from the temple. It wasn't that bad really. It had a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room/bedroom of just the right size.

"Alright, I'm done unpacking, Master!"

"Same here."

"So what do we do now?"

"We have to go register ourselves at the Church."

"Register? Ok then, let's go!"

-Kotomine Church-

The second I stepped into the church, I wished that I had never done so in the first place.

"I hate this place already."

"It's terrible…I can hear the crying souls of tortured children."

"On second thoughts, make my wish for this war be to completely obliterate this church."

We walked further into the church.

"Priest! Are you there?"

"Yes, who calls for me?"

I watched as a tall, very well-built man with dark brown hair dressed in a priest's garb step out from somewhere behind the altar.

"I am Kotomine Kirei, the priest of this humble church. How may I help?"

"Are you the overseer?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

I dusted off the makeup covering my Command Spell and showed it to the priest.

"I, Yagami Kousuke, have come to register for the fifth Heaven's Feel with my Servant, Caster."

"Very well. If you ever lose your Servant, you may come to the church to seek sanctuary. While you are here, other Masters are not allowed to make any attempt on your life."

"Understood. Are you allowed to answer our questions?"

"If it is within my power to answer, then yes."

"Have all the Servants been summoned yet?"

The priest's lips curled up in a small smile.

"No."

"Very well. I bid you goodbye now."

We left the church.

XXX

-Kirei-

As Yagami Kousuke and Caster left, the King of Heroes emerged from a door, hidden away from prying eyes.

"It seems that they might have noticed your presence, King of Heroes."

"Hmph! They should be honored to even be in my oresence!"

"Well then, what is your evaluation."

"I hate them. They both have the blood of a god running in their veins. Such divinity should not be present in a vixen and a mongrel!"

"Oh? As expected of you, King of Heroes."

I looked up to the roof of the church, awaiting the great disaster that was next to come. And as I spoke, the words seemed to echo through the empty church.

"I wonder, what is your true wish, Yagami Kousuke."

XXX

-Kousuke-

Only after we were a large distance from the church did I finally let my guard down.

"Damn, what was up with that place, not to mention that massive presence we felt. Caster, was it a Servant?"

"I don't know…I really couldn't tell…sorry Master…"

At that moment, Caster looked so down that I couldn't help but rub her head to comfort her.

"Don't worry Caster, it's no big deal for now. We'll just have to handle it when the time comes."

"Hyah! Master~it tickles!"

Well, at least she was back to normal.

"Come on, let's buy our ingredients for dinner."

As we walked, Caster asked me something.

"Hey, why did you ask the priest about whether all the Servants have been summoned yet?"

"Well…I was thinking…only magi can become Masters and summon Servants, and Casters are magi, so…"

"Master?"

Suddenly, I realized I was grinning.

"I'll tell you more when we get back."

"Hai!"

-Night, Ryuudouji-

Caster and I stood in the compound in front of the temple.

"Is everyone asleep?"

"Yes. And even if they weren't, I made sure they were."

"Alright, let's begin."

Slowly, with a stick of chalk, I drew a summoning circle just like the one I used to summon Caster with. My plan was to have Caster summon a Servant, but have it contracted to me. That way, Caster can supply the prana while I command the Servant. Of course, she won't be supplying 100% of the prana. I was going for a 75/25 split. I stood near the edge of the circle, while Caster stood behind me.

"Good. Here we go. Caster, start it up!"

The circle flared to life as I began the incantation.

"so ni gin to tetsu. so ni ishi to keiyaku no taikou. so ni wa waga daishi Schweinorg.

oritatsu kaze ni wa kabe wo. shihou no mon wa toji, oukan yori ide, oukoku ni itaru sansaro wa junkan seyo.

tojiyo (midase). tojiyo (midase). tojiyo (midase). tojiyo (midase). tojiyo (midase).

kurikaesu tsudo ni godo.

tada, mitasareru toki wo hakyaku suru.

-tsugeru.

nanji no mi wa waga moto ni, waga unmei wa nanji no ken ni.

seihai no yorube ni shitagai, kono i, kono kotowari ni shitagau naraba kotae yo.

chikai wa koko ni. ware wa tokoyo subete no zen to naru mono, ware wa tokoyo subete no aku wo shiku mono.

nanji sandai no kotodama wo matou shichiten, yukushi no wa yori kitate, tenbin no mamorite yo!"

The glow grew brighter, but not as bright as when I summoned Caster. Then, instead of culminating in a flash, the glow faded away, and no Servant could be seen.

"Did we fail?"

At that moment, I felt a searing burn on the back of my left hand and at the same time, he slowly appeared from the feet up. The Servant was wearing a traditional light purple umanori hakama and kimono, light purple tabi and black geta with purple haori and tekkou. His indigo hair was tied back in a long ponytail and he had with him a ridiculously long nodachi. Most would not have recognized him, but I did. From the only, single, hand-painted portrait of him in the Yagami mansion.

"I am Servant Assassin, at your service. I ask of thee, art thou my Master?"

"Are you…Sasaki Kojirou?"

He looked mildly surprised.

"Well, I never thought I would be easily recognized by someone from this time period. Tell me Master, what is your name?"

"Yagami Kousuke, future 13th head and heir of the Yagami family."

"Yagami…you don't mean the Yagami family founded by Yagami Masahiro at the end of the Heian Period?"

"Yes, that one. The one you married into, then left after divorcing your wife."

He sighed and looked up.

"Yagami…I never thought I would hear that name again…to answer your question, I am Sasaki Kojirou; but at the same time, I am not Sasaki Kojirou."

"I don't understand."

"What you have summoned is a fictional character, a fictional samurai. I am the swordsman from fiction, Sasaki Kojirou. I have all his skills and techniques, but I am not him."

"I see. But you remember my family name?"

"Yes. The only reason I could was because you are my Master, and thus my memories of the past of Sasaki Kojirou have been strengthened.

"I see. Very well. Assassin, your first, and only job is to guard this gate with your life. Do not let anyone enter but myself, Caster and any of the temple's residents."

I gave him a small bell, and so did Tamamo.

"Whenever we leave this temple, we will ask you for those bells. Whenever we return, we will give you those bells. If either of us ever fail to do so, I want you to attack us the minute our backs are turned, understood?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. See you tomorrow…Kojirou-sama."

As I walked back to the guest house with Tamamo, I remembered what I read about Sasaki Kojirou from our family archives. Master of the nodachi and inventor of the Tsubame Gaeshi, he met his untimely end at the hands of his rival, Miyamoto Musashi after a duel on an island. What isn't publicly known is that he was married into the Yagami family for three years, but left after a falling out with his father-in-law which subsequently led to a divorce. Because of that, our family did its best to forget him, but he carved himself into the annals of our history books with his superior nodachi technique as well as the invention of the legendary Tsubame Gaeshi, a technique where three concurrent arching blades close on the enemy from all sides to create a prison, allowing no chance for defense or evasion. True pure skill alone, he managed to replicate the effects of the Second Magic with his sword. And thus, he set the bar to be surpassed by our family. The goal of all Yagamis is to perfectly replicate his Tsubame Gaeshi, but none have succeeded. That too, is one of my goals. So far, I have only been able to do two illusional slashes and one true slash…but it's still not enough. Somehow…somehow, I will be the second person alive to master it!

-Guest house-

Walking into the guest house, I stumbled into the futon.

"Haah…hah…"

"Master, you look tired."

"I am…I just summoned a Servant, even if it was a joint summoning."

Even though Tamamo supplied most of the prana, I still put in quite a large amount of my own, which tired me out.

"Weeeeell then…ufufu…"

And before I even noticed, Tamamo was crawling on top of me.

"I know a reaaally good way to handle that problem…"

"Wha-What do you mean?!"

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about~ Mana transfer…"

"N-No! It'll refill on its own, thank you very much!"

"And don't worry about making too much noise…I already soundproofed this whole house, so no one can hear us at-all~"

"Nonononono, we can talk this over! Tamamoooooo!"

And thus, I spent the night being forcefully given mana by Caster. I really hope this war ends soon.

* * *

And thus, we end this chapter with super fluffy rape time! And WOW, I was amazed by the amount of favorites and followers I got for just one chapter! And so, thanks to Fenrir of the North, Hunter-35, bamafelix, linkthetoaoftime, lioncousin and namikaze93600 for favoriting! As for followers, thanks to 4112519 (seriously?), EdwynX, HegemonAlexandrov, HolyMage Mouto, Hunter-35, bamafelix, chins4tw, gundamxmeister and I suck at naming things (yes you do) for following! I'm gonna do the Servant stats for Caster and Assassin later because I'm just too damn tired right now (it's 4.20am) and I'm still deciding whether to make that a single chapter or tack that onto the end of the next chapter. Well whatever, thanks for reading, review, favorite, follow whatever! Flamers can go burn in their own flames! Capitalism, ho!

Edit: Just tiny bits.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: First Encounter**

And here we are, Chapter 3! Nothing much happened on Day 2 and Day 3, so I'm just going to mix all three days into one. Also, I'm not happy with the limited spells Caster has in Extra, and so I decided to give her more. However, I'm not good at inventing awesome Japanese names for spells, so I'm just going to steal as many spells and skills as possible from anime and games. Let's go!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Stay Night

* * *

-Kousuke-

-Day 2, 1st December, Morning, Guest house-

"Uuuh…"

Opening my eyes, I sat up from the futon to the sound of cooking.

"Ah, ohayou, goshuujin-sama!"

And I woke up to pleasant sight of Caster cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

"Did you have a good sleep? How was your night?"

I groaned as I remembered last night's events.

"Don't be like that, Master! Don't you feel super refreshed now?"

As a matter of fact, I did. Huh. Maybe this mana transfer has some advantages after all. I got up from the futon.

"I'm going to call Kojirou in for breakfast."

"Ok!"

Outside the guest house, I walked over to Assassin who was standing by the gates.

"Morning, Assassin."

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Master. Nothing eventful happened last night."

"Good work. Come on, breakfast is ready."

"…eh? Master, Servants don't have to eat. We can live off mana alone."

"Yeah, but isn't eating much better? Mana doesn't really have any taste, does it?"

"…Well, if my Master insists."

"Alright then."

Soon, the three of us were seated around the table.

"Itadakimasu."

Breakfast started. It was just so surreal. Eating breakfast with two powerful ancient spirits, not to mention the fact that they were both my ancestors. It almost felt as though there was no war going on.

"How is it, goshuujin-sama?"

"Un. It's good. You're a great cook, Tamamo."

"Hehee, praise me more, Kousuke!"

"Is it really alright for me to not be guarding the gate?" asked Kojirou.

"Don't worry. Since both Tamamo and I are at the temple itself, we'll know whenever a Servant or Master enters its range, and when that happens, we'll just blast enough magic blasts down the stairs to blow them away. Your job is to protect the place when we're absent."

"I see. This is delicious, by the way."

"Thanks, Kojirou-san!"

-Later, Late morning-

"Alright, that's done. Now there…"

After breakfast. Caster was inscribing various kanji and runes on the temple grounds to set up her Bounded Fields. As for me, I was training with Assassin.

"!"

Bringing up my katana to deflect from the right, I maneuvered out of his range. Now, I was fighting purely off skill alone, without any physical Reinforcement at all. We've been going at it for 5 minutes, and I was already working really hard.

"As expected of you…you really are amazing with your Monohoshizao."

"I'm surprised at your skill as well, Master. Just from our short spar, I can tell that you have already surpassed the 4th head in swordsmanship when he was your age."

"Really?"

"Yes. Shall we continue?"

"Of course."

-Evening-

Caster and I were once again exploring Fuyuki to get to know the geography of the area. In the end, Assassin managed to get a small cut on my face which I just barely avoided, making him the winner of the duel.

"Master, those crepes look nice!"

"I haven't had any in a while. Ok then."

So we bought some crepes and ate them as we walked.

"Say Caster, how are you liking the modern world?"

"I'm loving it! It's great, and everything is really convenient!"

As we walked, we reached…a park. But to call it a park was like calling an elephant a dog. The ground was completely blackened, and the few trees around were all dead.

"Master…what is this place?"

"This is the site of the Fuyuki fire from 10 years ago. It happened at the end of the Fourth Heaven's Feel, so I assume that they are related."

"This place is horrible…I can feel the corruption just coming out of it…no one would have been able to survive this."

"You know, this feeling…I got a bit of it coming from…the priest."

Caster nodded.

"Yes, you're right. He was definitely here when it happened."

"I don't feel too good here. Come on, let's go home. I've seen enough of the city to be able to recognize it."

"Alright, let's go."

XXX

-Day 3, 2nd December, Morning, Guest house-

"Goshuujin-sama, it's morning! Wake up~"

"Uuuh…do we have to do that every night…"

"Ehehe~"

Once again, the day was spent training, building more Bounded Fields and barriers, going into town, and returning. That night however, we were in for a surprise.

-Night-

"Master, Master! Two Servants are fighting!"

"Where, where?!"

I looked into the mirror Tamamo was using to observe the whole city. The feed was supplied by kanji Tamamo hid all over Fuyuki, which were more easily hidden than runes, even if found because we were in Japan. Even more cunningly, she wrote her surveillance kanji over existing kanji on storefronts, roadsigns and so on. Leaving them in plain sight.

"I think it's the high school, we passed, Homurahara Gakuen!"

"Issei's school?"

Looking into the mirror, we saw two Servants in a heated battle. A man in blue with a red lance, and a white-haired man in red with a pair of twin blades.

"The blue one is definitely a Lancer, but what about the red one?"

"He has swords, so a Saber?"

"Maybe. But he could be a Rider not using his mount to confuse the enemy."

"Let's keep watching."

We watched as Lancer and the other Servant traded blows over and over. While Lancer focused on attacking, the Servant in red just kept defending with his blades. The amazing thing was, each time a blade was knocked out of his hands, another would just reappear.

"Caster, is this…Projection?"

"Yes, but I've never seen Projection of this level before! He's dangerous, Master."

Projection, or Gradation Air is a Magecraft that materializes objects, in accordance to the caster's imagination, through the use of prana. The concept behind this Magecraft is rather simple, to shape prana into the material composition and design of an object that is being imagined by the magus. The item is not everlasting, as it is recognized by the world as a phantasm that doesn't belong in the natural world, and it will be erased as an inconsistency. The better the image in the caster's imagination, the more stable and longer lasting the object will be, and it can be further improved by having technical knowledge of its construction, such as a blueprint, or having materials to overlay the desired shape upon.

"Master, look!"

All of a sudden, the Lancer broke away from combat and ran in another direction.

"Is his Master calling him back?"

"Probably. He clearly had the upper hand."

As he left, a girl dressed in red with black hair tied back in twintails ran towards the Servant.

"That's definitely his Master."

"Yes. And I think…I might know of her identity…"

"Do you?"

"Umm…no, I don't."

"It's alright, Master. We'll just have to find out ourselves."

"Right."

-Past midnight-

"Master! Master!"

Just as I was about to turn in for the night, Caster shoved the mirror in my face so forcefully it almost smashed into me.

"Big news! Big news! Berserker and Saber are fighting!"

"What?!"

This truly was big news. Two of the strongest Servants, already battling it out this early? Looking into the mirror, we watched as the bronze giant swing his giant stone sword-axe at the blonde swordswoman, who was barely defending herself.

"Look, she already has an injury!"

I looked carefully at Saber, and she did have a somewhat serious wound on her upper torso.

"Berserker wouldn't have left that kind of wound, she would have been ripped in half by that sword. It's a puncture wound…she must have ran into Lancer."

"What kind of Berserker…is that?!"

We watched as the Saber slowly backs down with each of the giant's swings. As if sensing her weakness, the giant opened his mouth and let out what must have been a terrifying roar, for Tamamo's spell only transmitted images.

"Oh no!"

And in an instant, Saber was blown away into the distance. We watched as Saber's posture collapsed, and the lead giant chased after her like a madman.  
"Master, look! Her Master!"

Tamamo panned the view around to see a teenage boy with deep-orange hair, standing there, not making a single move.

"He doesn't seem that Master-ish. Did he accidentally get involved in this."

"Oh dear…Saber!"

Moving the image back, we saw Saber fly through the air in a big arc, landing in a crumpled heap. Also, probably because Berserker felled the lamppost, we were viewing the battle sideways, so Tamamo rotated the image until it was upright again.

"Amazing…with that sort of wound, I'm absolutely amazed that she can still stand up to Berserker," said Caster.

As Berserker moved in to finish Saber, it suddenly received a barrage of magic attacks on its back!

"Master, that's the red Servant's Master!"

Indeed she was. Was she working together with Saber's Master? But that aside, Berserker was not even fazed by her attack. I really wonder what level of Magecraft I had to pull off to even make a scratch on him. Of course, Tamamo should have plenty. I hope.  
"Incredible, she's still standing!"

We watched as Saber got up again, and Berserker continued pounding her relentlessly. But her posture was off, and the giant could tell. Letting out another furious roar, his swing finally connected with Saber's body.

"Ah!"

"What willpower…"

Even after a direct hit, with blood gushing out her, the blonde swordswoman stood up. Somehow sensing that his enemy has been defeated, Berserker stopped moving.

"Master, I found Berserker's Master!"

Tamamo spun the image to the right, to see a young girl with white hair and red eyes dressed in purple winter clothes.

"No way…is that really Berserker's Master?"

"That's…there's no doubting it. She's the Einzbern representative for this war."

"Einzbern?"

"Yes."

After briefly giving Tamamo a short explanation on the Einzberns, we continued watching.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING DON'T GO THERE!" screamed Tamamo suddenly.

"What hap-HOLY SHIT!"

We looked at the mirror to see the young man make a mad dash for the defeated Saber, and suddenly, he was on the ground, with his innards beaten out by Berserker.

"…It's over."

"Yes."

That idiot Master. He actually shielded Saber with his body! But…but…if it was Caster and I in that same situation…I probably would have done the exact same thing.

"Saber's Master…is definitely a good person."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just from that one action alone, I can tell…he cares for his Saber and doesn't treat her like a tool or a mere familiar…he treats her like a person."

"I see…hmm?"

Suddenly, the Einzbern Master left, bringing Berserker behind, leaving a heavily wounded Saber, an equally wounded Master, and the Master of the Servant in red.

"She…left?"

"Why?" I mused. "Her victory was 100% guaranteed."

"Maybe, some other reason? Something among Masters? The Einzbern looked like she knew the girl in red."

"I that's true, that means…she's Tohsaka!"

"You mean, the Second Owner you told me about?"

"Yes, I learnt about Fuyuki from my family and that the Second Owner, in charge of all magus-related things in the city are the Tohsaka, or something like that."

"I see."

Caster turned off the feed from the mirror.

"So, should we assume Saber and her Master have been defeated, goshuujin-sama?"

"…No. Tohsaka should be a talented magus, and I know that it is still possible to save someone with their innards forcibly removed by Magecraft. Or his Servant might have a regenerative ability that can be shared with their Master. The point is, I'm not going to write off a Servant or a Master as long as their body is still in one piece and their head is still attached."

"I see. As expected of you, Kousuke."

Caster suddenly started smiling, and I felt a terrible sense of foreboding.

"I-UGUAGSHGU!"

And before I could even react, I was thrown into the futon with Tamamo again. Seems that I would have another night of being force fed mana by my Servant.

XXX

-Two hours later-

Silently, Assassin waited at the top of the stairs. He had already sensed the enemy approaching, but he would wait here, for he had the advantage in elevation. Finally, he arrived. Upon catching sight of Assassin, the intruder frowned.

"Who are you?"

"I am Servant Assassin, and the guardian of this gate. You are Servant Lancer, I presume."

"Assassin? I was told that Caster was up here."

"Oh? And where did you get such information?"

"None of your business."

As Lancer readied his lance, Assassin drew Monohoshizao as well. Lancer cocked an eyebrow when he saw its length.

"What kind of Assassin uses a sword? And a ridiculously long one, at that."

"I'm just a fake Assassin, nothing more than a mere phantom. My name is Sasaki Kojirou, and my one and only job is to guard this gate from intruders."

Slowly, Lancer grinned a feral grin.

"That must get pretty boring, huh?"

"On the contrary, my Master treats me well when he is around, and he is anything but a boring person."

Lancer grinned even wider.

"Well then, I'll be your opponent in this war then, Assassin!"

"I gratefully accept!"

And thus, the skirmish began. Lancer began his assault from below, but Assassin just stood on the stair platform.

"Cheh, this damn place is a terrible place to fight! Oi, move up, will ya!"

Assassin smiled.

"I am not obliged to give up my personal advantage here, so no thank you," he replied as he continued deflecting and parrying all of Lancer's attacks.  
"All you do is defend! Throw in some offense, why don't you!"

"The best offense is a good defense, and vice versa."

By now, Lancer was getting slightly pissed. He was supposed to be the fastest Servant around, and yet this guy was keeping up with him perfectly. Also, you would think that a thin nodachi would break when used to block a weapon like a spear. It would, but all Assassin was doing was defending himself by deflecting the attacks instead of blocking them.

"Come on, fight me!"

Left, right, left, straight, below, left, all of Lancer's strikes were swiftly deflected by Assassin. When fighting someone with a sword, a spearman as the advantage, but Assassin's sword has about the same range as Lancer's spear, not to mention the height advantage.

"How about this then!"

Suddenly, Lancer launched himself towards Assassin, but he suddenly changed direction and shot upwards. Stabbing downwards at Assassin, he still managed to deflect it and Lancer was forced to return to his original position.

"Tch, you're good. Now, let's see you block this!"

For a moment, Lancer stopped attacking. But that moment was all Assassin needed. In one swift, graceful movement, his sword arched itself towards Lancer, who just managed to avoid it, but Assassin still managed to leave a shallow cut along Lancer's forehead. As Lancer backpedalled, Assassin spoke.

"I would recommend not using any skills which require charging of any sort, Lancer."

"Bastard."

And with a running start, Lancer jumped! Even higher than before, this time he was outside Assassin's range. But as the saying goes, 'The mantis hunts the cicada, but does not see the sparrow behind him'.

"…Hadō: Kōkyūha!"

All of a sudden, a reddish-purple ball of prana slammed into Lancer, damaging and knocking him off balance.

"GUARGH!"

"Assassin."

"Understood."

However, Lancer was still capable enough to deflect Assassin's strike and somehow land safely on a lower platform. He looked up to see Kousuke, with his foot still lifted from kicking the prana ball at Lancer.

"Keh, so, you're the Master of Assassin."

"Yes. Yes I am."

"You're good. For me to not see that coming, how long have you been watching?"

"All this time."

"I see. Well then, looks like my Master wants me back. Assassin! Next time we meet you better fight me properly!"

"I circumstances allow it, then I may."

The two watched as Lancer bounded down the stairs. Kousuke turned to Assassin.

"Well then, how was your first real fight in the Holy Grail War?"

"It was exhilarating, to say the least. I haven't been this excited since I fought Musashi."

"That was your last fight."

"Oh, right."

Kousuke took a deep breath.

"Are you tired, Master?"

"Of course I am. If you can find me a person that won't be tired after 'that' I'll be impressed."

"…'That'?"

Kousuke looked away.

"It's nothing…good night, Assassin."

"Good night, Master."

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Day 4, 3rd December, Morning, Guest house-

This morning, I woke up a bit later, because of last night's events. To be honest, I got lucky with Lancer last night. I didn't want to charge the Hadō with too much prana because Assassin too close and would get caught in the explosion if I used it at full power without its incantation, so I only used half power, without the incantation. However, since Caster had just given me mana, the Hadō was still powered more than it should, and after looking at Lancer's stats (Magic Resistance: C Rank), the 50% Kōkyūha wouldn't have damaged him at all.

"Ohayou, goshuujin-sama!"

"Ohayou."

"Something important happened while you were sleeping!"

"What?"

"Saber and her Master are still alive!"

"What?!"

She nodded at me and gestured towards the mirror she hung up.

"Earlier, I saw the Tohsaka girl leaving. She seemed a bit upset, so that might mean that her alliance with him might have failed. Then, some time later, Saber and her Master left the house!"

"Really?"

"Where did they go?"

"The church, I think. I didn't really look that far. But more importantly, Saber's Master was completely healed!"

"What?! How? That was a near fatal wound! It should have taken a long time for a normal human to heal, even if he was a magus."

"I know! Maybe his Servant has a special regenerative capability after all."

"I see."

Suddenly, my stomach rumbled. I sighed.

"Way to ruin the mood…"

Tamamo giggled.

"Breakfast is on the kitchen counter! Assassin already ate."

"I see."

I started eating.

"Say, Tamamo…"

"Yes?"

"I have a question."

"What is it?"

"I want to meet Saber and her Master."

"Eh?!"

I nodded.

"They seem like the Master did not join the war on his own volition, so I want to know what he's going to do."

"But, did he reject the Tohsaka's alliance request or something?"

"Maybe. Since Tohsaka is a traditional magus, she probably will want to win the war by any means necessary. We, however, are only targeting Servants or incapacitating Masters to force them to surrender their Command Spells. Otherwise, we'll only kill them when absolutely necessary."

"Right."

"What I'm thinking is that he probably has the same mindset as us. So, I want to talk with him. I want to know where he stands in this war."

"I see. That's a good idea, Kousuke. So how are we going to find him? Because most of my 'cameras' were destroyed when Berserker trashed that particular area."

I smiled.

"Caster…we're going patrolling tonight."

-Midnight, Fuyuki Streets-

Slowly, we walked through the streets. Caster was dressed in her original clothes and myself in my traditional clothes. Suddenly, we stopped.

"They're nearby. Be careful, Master."

"Yes, Caster."

Carefully, we continued. But all of a sudden!

"Master!"

"Got it!"

In that split second, I drew my katana and barely deflected Saber's strike from above.

"Gaaah!"

She. Was. Strong. Damn strong. Despite using a technique similar to when Assassin deflected Lancer's strikes by redirecting them, the shock travelled up my arms and I could barely feel them, especially since I only managed to sloppily Reinforce my arms in case of emergency. Even so, I realized that she was aiming for Caster, not me, so she must be acting on the orders of 'attack the Servant, not the Master'. Saber however, landed with a surprised look on her face.

"Master, are you alright?!"

"I guess…keh…"

"Hold on, I'll take care of that!"

Caster slowly massaged my arms. I could feel her prana flowing gradually into me, and soon I was back to normal.

"How…did you deflect…my sword?"

"Saber!"

Her Master ran around the corner, and caught sight of us. Sheathing my sword, I held an arm up.

"Greetings, Master of Saber. Before we go any further, let me just say that I wish you no harm.  
"Really?"

"Shirou!"

Saber was obviously still tense, but Shirou, her Master was looking at me.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Yagami Kousuke, and this is my Servant, Caster."

All three of them suddenly looked incredulously at me, for I had just divulged my Servant's identity.

"Master! What was that for?!"

"Isn't it customary to introduce yourself before you ask someone for an introduction?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I am Emiya Shirou, and this is my Servant, Saber."

This time, Saber was the one yelling.

"Shirou! Why did you divulge our identities!"

"Eh? No, he introduced himself, and he seemed polite, so…"

"Hmph!"

Saber turned back at us and stood in a defensive position.

"What do you want from us, Caster and Master?"

"I came because I wanted a talk."

"A talk?"

"Yes, a peaceful talk."

Saber still seemed suspicious.

"Saber, I think we should at least listen to them."

"Shirou!"

"They haven't even attacked us or anything."

"…Understood."

Grudgingly, Saber sheathed her sword. I breathed a short sigh of relief.

"Thank you for your understanding, Saber, Shirou."

"Well, what is it? Speak."

"I am here to confirm your intentions for the war."

"Intentions?"

"From what we've seen, you would rather focus on the enemy Servant instead of going after the Master, is that right?"

Saber involuntarily stiffened, which was obvious since I just told them that we've been watching them in a subtle way. Shirou however, did not notice.

"Yes. We will only fight to defend ourselves. And even if we do fight, we will only target the enemy Servant."

I nodded. Ignoring the surprise attack by Saber, I replied.

"Good. Because that too, is our plan for the war."

Shirou looked relieved.

"I see. That's good. I'm relieved that there are others in the war who share the same thoughts."

"That's why, I want to propose a truce."

"A truce?"

"Yes a truce. Instead of an alliance, we'll have a truce. We won't attack each other unless we're the last two remaining. And even if that happens, it will be a fight between Servants, not Masters."

As Shirou opened his mouth, but suddenly his expression changed.

"Wait…you haven't told me what your intentions for the grail are. If they are evil, then I cannot be involved in a truce with you."

I nodded.

"That's agreeable. To be frank, as of now, I have no wish for the grail."

The two of them looked surprised.

"You don't?"

"Yes. I only participated in the Fifth Heaven's Feel to bring honour and victory to my family, who have never been chosen for the Heaven's Feel for the past 200 years. However, I must ask you the same question. What are your intentions for the grail, Emiya Shirou."

"I also have no wish for the grail. My goal is to prevent the grail from being used for evil intentions."

Beside us, I could see both our Servants shaking their heads, as if in mutual agreement at the fact that both their Masters were currently wishless.

"It seems that we are slightly alike in some ways then. Well then, shall we call it a truce?"

"Yes, I accept."

We walked forwards and shook hands with each other.

"Do have anything else to talk about, Yagami-san?"

"Well…there is one thing I'm interested in."

"What is it?"

"Actually…it's about Saber."

"What about her?"

"As a swordsman myself…I want to request a duel."

All three of them looked at me in utter shock.

"What?"

"Pardon?"

"Kousuke are you serious?! You saw how she stood up to Berserker! And how she easily cut out Rider's abdomen!"

I nodded.

"Well yes, but I have trust in Saber that she is an honourable swordswoman."

Suddenly, Saber spoke up.

"What are your terms for the duel?"

"We fight to disarm. We shall not be assisted by our respective partners. Minor injuries are acceptable."

"Very well, I accept your challenge."

"Master!"

"Saber!"

Both our partners cried out in indignation.

"Shirou, please stand aside. Do not fret, I definitely will not kill him."

"Caster, please. I'm sorry, but I need to do this."

Slowly, Shirou and Caster backed away. Facing each other, we drew our swords. I read her Servant stats. Or the only three that currently mattered.

"Strength, B. Endurance, C. Agility, C. This is going to be tough."

"You were the one who issued the challenge, were you not?"

"Yes, yes, I know."

"Well then…I shall begin!"

In a flash, Saber was onto me. I have never been so grateful to the fact that I had physically Reinforced myself while we were talking, and thanks to the fact that my clothes were also Reinforced the same way as the Enforcers of the Magus Association, I was just barely fast enough to keep up with her.

"!"

Slash, swing, slash, thrust, stab, slash, overhead, swing, feint, stab, uppercut, all I could do was defend against Saber's relentless attacks. Although her attacks were only marginally slower than Assassin's, her Strength more than made up for it. Despite the fact that I kept redirecting the force of her blows, every single one of her strikes shook me to the bone.

"Haah…keh…"

Finally, after about half a minute, I managed to backpedal and land safely behind me on my own two feet. Saber stood her ground, and seemed slightly impressed.

"I'm impressed, Kousuke. I never thought that a human could ever match a Servant in combat."

"Hey, I'm overexerting myself over here you know, cut me some slack."

"Oh, but I am? I would not use the full scope of my skills against someone who isn't a Servant."

"Ouch, that's a blow to my pride…oh well, I guess there's no better time than now to reveal them."

Taking of my glasses, I saw the world grow slightly blurred for a split second before I closed my eyes.

"Kyōka no Magan."

And when I opened my eyes again, the iris had turned scarlet and three black mitsudomoe encircled the pupil. Saber visibly flinched, Shirou took a step back, and Caster was surprised.

"W-What's that?!" exclaimed Saber's Master.

"Master, you have Mystic Eyes?!"

"Mystic Eyes…"

"Yes, the Mystic Eyes of my family, Mystic Eyes of Empowerment. With them activated, my body is physically enhanced. The level of enhancement is equal to the skill one has is using them. Not everyone is born with them however, and they require extensive training to be used properly."

I held my sword up. It was my turn.

"As for me, my abilities are increased…tenfold."

And faster than I could have ever dashed, I rushed at Saber, and immediately began feinting in every direction. After the 11th feint, I began attacking. I kept striking at her with everything I had, but she blocked everything with little effort. However, I could tell that she was in a state of great concentration. Suddenly, she found a break in my pattern, and swung her sword in a massive arc! But I managed to jump over her and slash at her on my way down, but she still managed to counter, and I was thrown backwards.

"Just as I thought, ridiculously strong and fast with incredible instinct, you are an incredible swordswoman, Saber."

Saber smiled a small smile as she prepared herself.

"As are you, Kousuke. I have vastly underestimated your abilities. But now, I shall be going at my full strength! Prepare yourself!"

This time, she ran at me even faster, but with my Mystic Eyes, I just managed to perceive and predict her movements. Like as though in slow motion, I evaded her first strike, went in for an attack, and time sped up and we were going at full throttle. Left, right, above, left, below, front, back, right, slash, thrust, dodge, parry, deflect, slash, swing, above, right, backhand, I really was being pushed to me limits. The weakness of a katana versus a broadsword was that it is meant for speed, not power and therefore will be damaged if it is used to block a Western sword. However, after using my sword for 18 years, it had also developed some power of its own.

"Haaah!"

As she came in for an overhead slash, I suddenly switched fighting styles and instead of deflecting, I blocked it head on.

"Grrrrhk!"

I could literally feel my feet being pushed into the ground, but I held on. Saber however, was full of shock.

"It didn't break?!"

I used that lapse in concentration to unleash a counter slash, but Saber just managed to dodge it. However, I chased after her and followed up with a large downwards strike. She evaded it again, and my sword became embedded in the road from the force behind the attack. Pulling my katana out, Saber stared at me with narrowed eyes.

"Your sword…it's not normal. Have you placed some sort of Magecraft on it?"

I smiled.

"Well, it is Reinforced, but let me tell you something. For members of the head family, their swords must be crafted and completed on the day of the baby's birth itself. I know, it seems impossible, and the crafter must have an absurd sense of timing. Basically, the newly made sword, with its blade crafted from tamahagane will be handed to the baby for him or her to touch on that very same day. It's an old family tradition, so it's not questioned, but it's believed to link the child's soul with the sword itself."

I ran a finger down the back of my katana.

"My sword was given the name 'Yattsugami', named by my grandfather. For the past 18 years, I have been training with it, using it, and taking care of it for almost every day that I'm with it. In fact, after pouring so much prana into it, somehow, without any knowledge of how to do so, I have established a link between my soul with my sword. It has become my very own Mystic Code."

Holding my swords in both hands, I stood ready to face Saber.

"The things it can cut are second to none. As long as I am alive, my sword will never break!"

Suddenly, I rushed at Saber, who was slightly caught off guard as I started before finishing me sentence. As if on a sudden whim, she held her sword in both hands over her shoulder, as if preparing for a massive swing.

"Very well, but can you handle this?!"

"Master, watch out!"

"Saber, wait!"

"Invisible Air!"

I stopped as her sword released a massive burst of compressed wind at me.

"Master!"

"Yagami-ryū Kenjutsu."

In swift, flowing movements, I rapidly sliced at the air in a dozen arcs in front of me, and as the burst of wind approached, it was literally sliced it away, and it blew past me, causing a substantial amount of destruction behind me. In fact, I sliced so fast, the silvery-white afterimage of my sword could be seen, looking just like a white lotus. And that, was the origin of this move's name.

"Byakuren."

As the wind subsided, all three of them were looking at me incredulously.

"Now that was a shock, Saber. I thought we were going on pure swordsmanship alone. Saber suddenly looked guilty.

"No, it's my fault! I got to excited, and-"

"Payback time~"

"!"

Moving faster than I previously was, I was right in front of Saber.

"Yagami-ryū Kenjutsu."

"Saber, careful!"

"Setsugetsuka!"

Using my foot as an axis, I spun in a full circle, my sword leaving a silvery trail as I swung it.

"!"

However, just before the executed the move, Saber leaped away. When my posture returned to normal, everyone watched as I turned around.

And the edge of the corner wall, along with a stop sign, was cleanly sliced off and fell to the ground with a crash and a clang.

"For a human to do this, how is this possible?!"

"That, was two of the Yagami Family Sword Arts. Throughout the 800 years of our history, many members of the family have invented their own signature, one-hit kill moves. All of them are recorded, and are taught to the future generations. Some are easier to master, but some are harder, and the hardest could take years, even decades, but thanks to my Origin…"

And that was sort of the truth. However, they were actually a non-Magecraft related mystery of the Yagami family. The name of the move itself is a one-line aria. First, one must master the move itself normally. When it has been completely mastered, and the practitioner says the name of the move, od is consumed from his body as the 'mystery' is actualized, causing the practitioner's sword to be able to perform actions a normal sword would not be able to, such as cut through stone. As compared to actual Magecraft performed by magi, this is akin to the conceptualization of the decades of sword training an individual puts in and centuries of history our family has. Of course, being a magus itself helps in learning and performing the techniques

As everyone listened intently, I stopped talking, sheathed my sword and gave a bow.

"Well then. It has been an interesting night for me. Thank you for giving me such an experience, Servant Saber. But now, it's time for us to leave. And we shall, but with a bang. Caster"

"Right!"

Caster began muttering in archaic Japanese I couldn't even understand with one hand raised above her head. As for me, I held up my right hand, palm out, grasped my right wrist to support it, and began chanting.

"kunrinsha yo! chiniku no kamen, banshō, habataki, hito no na o kansu mono yo!"

As I recited the incantation, a ball of red prana materialized and grew in my palm of my hand. As for Caster, a large fireball began growing.

"Saber!"

"Shirou, watch out!"

"shōnetsu to sōran, umihedate sakamaki minami e to ho o susume yo!"

Finally, both our spells reached full power, and we both finished our respective incantations.

"Hadō: Shakkahō!"

"Enyōdama!"

We both launched our spells, and where they collided, there was a massive explosion of flames and prana.

XXX

-Shirou-

Slowly, I moved my hands away from my face. I could feel the explosion from here, and when I looked, there was a large crater in the ground, and the road was blackened and smoking.

"I thought we had a truce!"

"Shirou, calm down."

"Saber?"

"They never targeted us to begin with?"

"Eh?"

"To be more direct, they were just…'showing off'."

"Showing off…"

"Yes. I am certain that they already knew that level of Magecraft would not hurt me due to my Magic Resistance, but either way, it seems that they have left us something."

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, I saw a piece of paper on the ground where Kousuke and Caster stood. I went to pick it up.

"What is it, Shirou?"

On that piece of paper was a mobile phone number, and a line of text.

"I am currently staying at the Ryuudouji. If you ever need anything, call me, and we'll decide a time and place to meet."

"Did he give us a method of contacting him?"

"Yes, he did."

"I see."

Looking around, I sighed.

"Well, let's go home, Saber."

"Yes, Shirou."

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Guest house-

Without saying a word, I toppled onto the futon Caster had set out before we left.

"Are you alright, Master?!"

Panting, I replied.

"Yes…just, really…tired…physically…"

God, I could barely move a muscle after our duel. The next time we run into a Servant, I definitely have to get Caster to Reinforce my body until I can punch through steel or something.

"I see. Say, you really haven't told me the finer details of your Hadō and Bakudō yet. Can you pleeease tell me~?"

With a sigh, I began explaining. The founder of our family Magecraft, the first head, Yagami Masahiro, invented 2 sets of 99 spells. Bakudō, the Way of Sealing, focuses on barriers and seals, as well as incapacitating and immobilizing your opponents without actually hurting them (with some exceptions though). Hadō, the Way of Destruction, focuses on just that. Destruction. Explosions. While they seem like they lack the power of Formalcraft and rituals and any mysteries of proper magi, 800 years of accumulated history and experience have added to the power of the spells. Also, the fact that every single spell has had its description, incantations and effects so painstakingly and specifically invented and recorded by the 1st head, their power does not fall too short from the Magecraft of a proper magus. Since each and every spell has such specific effects, I like to compare them to a gun and its bullet, where the magus is the gun, the spell is the bullet, the mana required is the propellant and the knowledge to use the spell is the knowledge to operate the gun.

The lower level spells can be easily learnt, most of the middle-level spells need to be constantly practiced, but can usually be mastered within weeks or months, while the higher level spells need years of training in Thaumaturgy. All spells other than lower level spells have an incantation, but the incantation can be discarded when casting, which results in faster casting time, but less power. However, depending on the levels of Magecraft of every individual, an incantation-less spell can even be stronger than a spell with its incantation. Personally, I prefer Hadō, because who doesn't like blowing things up?

I rolled over, my body still aching, as Tamamo slid into the futon next to me.

"You know…I can help you with that aching body of yours, Kousuke~ In fact, you don't even have to do anything, I'll do all~ the~ work~"

At this point, I was too tired to even reject or fight her off, and I would probably recover faster this way, so I just accepted. All in all, it was definitely an eventful night.

* * *

WISEUP: Servant status added.

**CASTER**

Master: Yagami Kousuke

True Name: Tamamo-no-Mae

Weight/Height: 49kg/163cm

Sex: Female

Alignment: Neutral Evil

STR: D

END: D

AGI: B

MAG: A+

LUC: C+

NP: B

Class Abilities-

Territory Creation: A-

Territory Creation is the skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus. At A- Rank, creation of a "Temple", which is superior to a "Workshop", becomes possible. Caster's original rank in this ability is C, but being summoned by a suitable Master, summoned with the proper catalyst, and the presence of Japanese soil has increased Caster's rank to A-.

Item Construction: B-

Item Construction is the skill to manufacture magical items. At B Rank, Caster is able to make various magical artifacts of great power, but items like potions of limited immortality are beyond her reach.

Skills

Witchcraft: EX

Witchcraft is the Dakini heavenly methods. It includes methods to discern one's time of death and secret arts to obtain influence, such as methods to attain status and fortune (for men) and methods to gain the favor of influential individuals (for women). However by lamenting harshly learning from experience in the past, Caster does not feel like making much use of this

Shapeshifting: A

Shapeshifting refers to both borrowing bodies and appearance change. A method used by the millenary spirits of foxes and badgers of China that are put on par with Tamamo-no-Mae. Caster's particular take on shapeshifting is similar to that stated in the Fengshen Yanyi, but once again, Caster does not feel like making much of an use of this due a trauma of the past, but if needed, she will do so.

Divinity: A-

Divinity is the measure of whether one has Divine Spirit aptitude or not. At high levels one is treated as a mixed race of a Divine Spirit, and the level declines when the Heroic Spirit's own rank as a Monster, Demonic Beast raises. It can also decrease due one's dislike for the gods. It also has an effect which reduces special defensive values called "purge defense" in proportion to the Divinity's Rank. It can break through Skills such as Protection of the Faith. As a facet of Amaterasu, Caster has a high Divinity rank.

High Speed Incantation: B

High Speed Incantation is the capacity to recite spells at high speeds. At B Rank, Caster can recite incantations eight times faster than normal.

Magic Resistance: B

Magic Resistance grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether. At B Rank, spells with a chant below three verses are cancelled. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for Caster to be affected.

Monstrous Strength: ?

Monstrous Strength is an ability possessed by monsters and beasts, temporary boost of the Strength parameter by one rank for a time limit determined by the ranking of this skill. In Caster's case however, the rank of this skill is unknown, for she never uses it and denies even having it. It is only known that when Caster uses this skill, her physical state changes to one which is worthy of the title 'One of the Three Great Monsters of Japan'.

Noble Phantasm

Tokoyo Sakisaku Daisakkai-**Higanbana Sesshōseki**

After her death, Tamamo-no-Mae turned into a rock named Sesshōseki, which was tinged with a terrible curse-toxin and caused the humans and animals that approached it to die from poisoning. It was originally located in the plateau of Nasu, Tochigi, but later it was broken by a virtuous priest named Monk Gennou and then scattered in three locations in Japan that were called Takada. Furthermore, the remnants that were scattered at that occasion became Osaki Kitsunes and Inukamis and said to have been turned into familiars by many wizards from various places. When Caster activates this Noble Phantasm, she materializes the Sesshōseki and strikes the enemy with it. Any human, animal, plant, or familiar will die if it is struck by it. When a Servant is struck by it however, it will be both cursed and poisoned. The severity of the curse depends on the Servant's Magic Resistance and any skills the Servant may have which lessens the effects of curses while the severity of the poison depends on the Servant's Endurance. The poison lowers the ranks of the Servant's Parameters while the curse lowers the ranks of the Servant's Class Abilities and Skills. The drawback is that Caster has to get within punching range of the enemy to use it, for it cannot be thrown.

Rank: C-A

Type: Anti-Unit

Range: 1

Maximum Targets: 1 person

Suiten Nikkou Amaterasu Yanoshisu Ishi-**Yata no Kagami**

This Noble Phantasm is a mirror that Tamamo-no-Mae wears on her body. It is the temporarily released form of the Tamamo Shizu Ishi, a sacred regalia among sacred regalia, which was enshrined at Izumo after being brought from heaven by "Takehinateru-no-Mikoto." According to the descriptions of the Nihon Shoki, it was taken from Izumo at the order of the Imperial Court and then later enshrined at Kawachi. It possibly later came to be known as the Yata no Kagami, the divine repository of Amaterasu, and it is thought to be the prototype of the Tokusa-no-Kandakara of the Mononobe clan, which holds the power to revitalize souls and life-force. Once its function as a Noble Phantasm is activated, she summons a circle of levitating ofuda surrounded by a number of glowing torii, charges the mirror with prana, and stands in the middle of the circle to draw in the prana. It is normally a divine treasure of the land of the dead, an EX rank Noble Phantasm, that can even bring the deceased back to life, but the Servant form of Caster hasn't been granted the authority to use that much power. While it is activated, Caster draws in and receives near infinite amounts of prana. All spells cast will be about 10 times stronger with only 10% of the prana expended by Caster herself. However, it can only be maintained for 15 minutes, and all the enemy Servant can do is hope to survive.

Rank: A

Type: Anti-Army

Range: 3-30

Maximum Targets: 100 people

* * *

And so, there we have it, the Kousuke and Tamamo's first epic battle in the fanfic. There will definitely be more to come, and more secrets about Kousuke will be slowly revealed, one by one! Also, I cannot believe I now have 10 favorites and 12 followers on just the second chapter. That's the most I've ever gotten on the second chapter of any of my given fics! Once again, thanks for reading, review, favorite, follow, and hopefully, I'll be able to churn out another chapter soon! Actually, probably not that soon, because I have A LOT of other stuff to do. BUT, sooner or later I will definitely come back to continue this, but till then, stay fluffy.

More edit: A bit of stuff at the end, also on the Magecraft.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Shadows**

And now, we've arrived at that point in time, where our false Assassin gets murdered. Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: KINOKOOOOOOOOOO

* * *

-Kousuke-

-Day 5, 4th December (Monday), Morning, Guest house-

Once again, I woke up to the early morning sunlight and the sounds of birds chirping.

"Ah, goshuujin-sama, ohayou! Shirou-san called this morning, just to check if the number was working."

"I see then. Wait, you answered?!"

"Hai! He was really surprised!"

"I see…"

I looked at the calendar.

"Let's see…its Monday. He should be at school by now."

"School? Who attends school during a Grail War?"

Caster giggled.

"Not you, obviously."

"Whatever…anyway, my new goal for tomorrow, wake up earlier than Caster!"

"Fufu…I'll always make sure you fail at that…"

"You damn fox…"

XXX

-Shirou-

-Homurahara Gakuen-

"Morning, Shirou."

"Ah, morning, Issei."

After that run-in with Tohsaka, I went to my class and was greeted by Issei. Hmm…maybe I should ask…

"Issei?"

"Yes?"

"I heard there was a guest staying over at Ryuudouji?"

"Yes, I'm surprised you know. Apparently they're old family friends."

"I see."

"Why did you ask though? Do you know them?"

"No, just wondering."

Before Issei could continue asking, Taiga-sensei surprised us all by entering class before the bell rang. Homeroom started as usual.

-Rooftop-

After finally having settled the business about Sakura with Tohsaka, she changes the topic with a sigh.

"Well, now that I've handled you, I still have the problem with Ryuudouji."

"I see…wait, Ryuudouji?!"

That's where Kousuke and Caster are!

"Yes, I've confirmed that there is a Master-Servant pair up there. The temple is right on top of one of Fuyuki's main leylines, so they have a very advantageous position. They aren't doing anything yet, but I'm still keeping close watch on the hill.

As she talked, I thought furiously. What do I do? Do I tell Tohsaka about Kousuke? Or do I tell Kousuke about Tohsaka? Or do I do both?! I've made a truce with him, but Tohsaka is my classmate, and-

"Well, you owe me one, Emiya-kun. I told you something you didn't know."

Eh? What?! Something? But I…ok, calm down Shirou. Calm. Just like Saber. Breathe and think carefully.

"Wh-What? I told you about Shinji too! That should make us even."

"Oh, that's been paid for with the advice about Sakura. Or what? You didn't mean those thanks you gave me?"

"Ugh…"

She's a devil! She really is a devil! Don't let her fool you everyone! The school's peace is in danger!

"Well, what should I take? Equivalent exchange is standard for magi. Do you get it now? You have no information to give me, so tell me Saber's true iden-"

"I guess I can't help it. You haven't eaten right? I'll give you half of this."

Giving Tohsaka half of my bread, I also gave her my whole can of tea reluctantly as a symbol of my sincerity.

"Hey…wait, Emiya-kun?"

"Here, eat up. The cafeteria's closed by now. It should fill you up a bit."

"….."

Does she not like it? She looks astonished.

"…Thanks. Then I won't hold myself back."

XXX

-Kousuke-

"These croquettes are tasty~ Convenient stores really are convenient~"

"I know. But which one is the best, that is the question."

"If that's the case, we'll just have to try all of them, right?"

"Oi, you'll get fat."

"I dare you to say that again, wa-ga-a-ru-ji~"

I shivered as I felt cold fury directed towards me like a multitude of icicles.

"I'm am terribly, absolutely sorry."

"Good~"

Once again, the two of us were wandering in town, when we saw something.

"Hold still!"

"Eh-uwaah!"

I immediately ducked into an alleyway and pulled Caster along with me.

"What is it?"

"There."

Poking our heads around the corner, we saw it. Shirou with his arms laden with groceries was walking with the Einzbern Master.

"Are the Servants around?" I asked in a small whisper.

"No, neither are."

"I see."

"What will we do?"

"…She doesn't seem to be ready to kill him. In fact, she looks happy. But still, it's dangerous for us. Let's return."

"Understood, Master."

XXX

-Midnight-

"Haah!"

"Master?! What's wrong?!"

Caster and I were out patrolling when suddenly, a hot sear ran across the back of my left hand.

"It's Assassin! Something's wrong!"

"Eh?! Master! Wait!"

And without waiting for Caster, I ran off.

"Kojirou-sama, please hang in there!"

XXX

A high-pitched sound rang out.

The brilliant moonlight glinted off the drawn sword as it clattered to the ground.

"….Hah…"

Blood was on his lips.

The man on his knees on the stone steps bids his longsword goodbye as it fell out of his reach.

His arms are the next to fall.

Wet with blood, the elegantly-patterned fabric of his battlecoat looks like a giant red flower.

"My…I did not think you were of the serpent's kind."

In steep contrast to his bloody body, his lips are white. Neither breath nor blood passes his throat now. Sasaki Kojirou's internal organs no longer serve their original purpose.

The mountain gate is quiet.

The Servant that guarded the place,

The shadow that appeared…

Neither of them moved.

But the battle had already ended.

Assassin was defeated by 'someone' who came up the stone steps.

He had no time to identify the intruder as an enemy, let alone cross swords.

This 'someone' was on a different level to begin with.

Assassin's body burst open.

Torn, mutilated and weaponless, he could not even take his own life.

The shadow approached.

It stroked Assassin's cheek with a scornful cherishing gesture.

A deformed, spider-like hand came out of his stomach.

His bones cracked.

His flesh ripped apart.

It feels as if his organs were becoming someone else's.

"Guh!"

Assassin suppressed the regurgitating blood.

The swordsman swallowed the blood and smiled with his pale lips.

"Very well, do as you wish. After all, this is coming out of me. I'm sure it's nothing noble…"

He smiled, even though he is denied an honorable death.

If one talks about a grand spectacle…

His smile was grander than the spawning of the abomination.

And thus it was summoned.

Taking the false Servant's flesh as its own, the true Assassin entered the world.

"Kiki…kikiki…kikikikiki!"

His first cries sounded like that of an insect.

For the false Assassin, his battle was over. But for another, it was well underway.

"Hadō: Byakurai!"

As the black insect was devouring the ravaged corpse of Sasaki Kojirou, a huge, sizzling bolt of white lightning streaked through the air, requiring him to avoid it.

"You…WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"

And standing defiant, before the fallen corpse, was its Master.

"You…you must be a real Assassin…AM I RIGHT?!"

His angry yells rang through the night. The Assassin however, despite not consuming the entirety of the corpse, had gained enough knowledge to recognize itself, and the world around it.

"Kikiki…sO tHIs Was youR SeRVaNt? Kikiki…"

"You'll pay for this…Assassin."

"OH? NoT if I KiLL yoU FIrSt!"

However, as Assassin was about to strike, another entered the fray.

"Reppa Fūjin!"

A huge, powerful gale smashed through the woods, forcing Assassin to retreat.

"Tch…I SEe…yOu Had TWo…foR Now, i sHALl RetrEAt. BuT sOON, aLl oF YoU shaLl FALL..."

The white-skull face retreated, but I could still hear the sounds of Caster blasting him through the forest. Hurriedly, I turned back to Kojirou and held him in my arms.

"Kojirou-sama! Hold on, please! I'll save you right away!"

I began pumping as much prana as I could into his lifeless body, but somewhere, in the back of my mind…I knew it was over for him.

"…Kousuke-sama…" he uttered in a faint voice "I truly apologize for having you see me in such a state…"

"Kojirou-sama, please, don't talk! Save your energy!"

He looked around.

"Where's…my sword?"

Looking around, I picked it up and gave it to him. How ridiculous it must have seemed, giving an armless man a sword. But, Kojirou shook his head.

"No…you take it. I no longer have any use for my sword…"

"Kojirou-sama! I'm sure Tamamo can fix-"

"We both know…I can no longer be saved…take my sword…my Monohoshizao…use it…and triumph in this war…"

"Kojirou-sama…"

Suddenly, he smiled at me, as his body began disappearing into motes of light from the feet up.

"I might have been…a fictional character…but…I truly appreciated…the past few days you spent with me…I have no doubt…you will make a great family leader…Kousuke…"

"Kojirou…"

And just like that, he vanished. The fictional swordsman, Sasaki Kojirou, had departed from this world.

XXX

-Shirou-

As Saber and I were nearing the stone steps of the temple, we both felt something incredibly wrong.

"Shirou, look out!"

Suddenly, a black blur which I almost mistook as a natural shadow, dashed down the steps and disappeared to the right, and just seconds later, the area at the bottom of the stone steps exploded in a blast of jade prana.

"Jushō: Mitsuten!"

We watched as Caster bounded down the stairs.

"Saber! Shirou!"

"Caster! What happened?!"

"It's Assassin!"

"Assassin?!" exclaimed Saber.

"Which way did he go?!"

"That way!"

As Caster was about to run after her, I stopped her.

"Wait, Caster, where's Kousuke?"

Suddenly, she looked shocked and turned back around.

"Goshuujin-sama?!"

After a few seconds of silence, she panicked.

"I'm not getting any kind of response from him!"

"Caster, you go check on your Master! Saber and I will go after Assassin!"

"Eh?! Th-Thank you very much!"

And she ran back up the stairs. I looked at Saber.

"Let's go, Saber!"

"Yes, we should not delay."

XXX

-Caster-

"Go…Goshuujin-sama!"

I ran up the stairs as fast I could, but when I arrived, I saw Kousuke, kneeling on the stair platform, covered in blood.

"Kousuke! Are you hurt?!"

"…No."

"Thank goodness…?"

Looking up, I saw a multitude of tiny specks of indigo light float into the sky before disappearing.

"Kousuke-sama…"

Slowly, my Master stood up, and in his right hand was Sasaki Kojirou's nodachi.

"…did he…die?"

"…Yes…there was no way to save him…his body was used to summon the true Assassin."

As he said that, he walked past me down the stairs.

"Let's go…Tamamo."

Turning around, all I could see was his tall figure striding down the stairs, and at that moment, his whole aura had changed completely. From a calm, gentle aura to an aura that was radiating with cold, blazing fury.

"It's time to fight back."

XXX

-Shirou-

In the end, we were unable to find Assassin, and on our way back, we ran into Kousuke and Caster.

"Sorry, we weren't able to find Assassin."

"It's alright. You did your best."

"Well then, we shall be taking our leave now."

As the two turned to leave, Kousuke suddenly spoke up again.

"Shirou…I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes?"

"If…you ever find Assassin's whereabouts…do not kill him."

"Eh?! Why?!"

"Because…Assassin…is my enemy."

"?"

"I will find him…I will find him…and I will kill him. I shall avenge Kojirou-sama…no matter what it takes."

They started leaving.

"Goodnight, Emiya Shirou. I fear that this war may not go as smoothly as it should."

And they left, leaving me in confusion.

XXX

-Caster-

We were back in our room. Kousuke was lying silently on my side, his back facing me. The death of Kojirou must have hit him quite hard.

"…Kousuke-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Are you…angry at me?"

"Why would I?"

"Because…I failed to catch Assassin…"

"No…I'm angry at myself…for failing…"

He turned over to face the ceiling.

"It's just…he met his untimely death so early…and he was quite disliked by most of our family. I just wanted…to give him a new life…to start over."

"Kousuke…is it possible that you intended to summon him when we did the summoning that day?"

"Yes."

"I see."

Not knowing what else to say, I moved over and embraced by beloved Master.

"Tamamo?"

"It's alright…Kousuke…we'll find Assassin…and we'll make him pay for what he did…to our family."

He was surprised for a while, but then he returned my embrace.

"Thank you, Tamamo."

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Day 6, 5th December (Tuesday), Morning, Guest house-

This morning, I woke up early. Much earlier than Tamamo in fact. So, I finally had a chance to make breakfast.

"Ah…that's right, breakfast for two from now on."

As I was cutting some radish, my cellphone rang. Looking at the ID, I answered.

"Is this Shirou?"

"No, it's me."

"Saber?!"

"Yes. You sound surprised."

"No, I'm just surprised that you knew how to use a phone. I was too when I heard Caster answer the phone that day."

"Shirou taught me how to use it, just in case."

"I see. Well, what is it?"

"Shirou has caught a cold. I do not know when he'll recover, so we might not be able to help in the search for Assassin."

"I see. That aside, you must trust us pretty well to inform us."

"Yes. I have had enough interaction with you and Caster to know that you can be trusted. But, I have a question."

"What is it, Saber?"

"…I have seen many men obsessed with revenge in my time. And from your reactions last night, I have determined that you want revenge against Assassin."

"…"

"Kousuke-san. You mustn't be swallowed up by revenge. I do not know the reasons behind your revenge, but I have seen many a man felled in his course of vengeance."

I gave a small sigh and smiled.

"Thanks for the advice, Saber. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Now, I must check on Shirou. Goodbye."

"Bye."

She hung up. Saber really is a good person. I wouldn't mind another short spar with her in the future, but next time with Caster Reinforcing my body.

"Mmmm…eh? Kousuke, you're awake already?"

"Yup. And today is my turn to cook, so no stealing my job from me, got it?"

"Boo. Alright, let's just see how good you are at cooking, goshuujin-sama~"

-Later, Afternoon-

"Wow, this is quite surprising."

I walked into the guest house's storeroom, where Tamamo had set up her Temple, and it was ten times bigger than it should be, because of some ridiculously advanced spatial expansion Bounded Field she used which took two days to set, place and stabilized. Hanging on all the walls were all the mirrors Caster used for surveillance, and here and there were low tables covered in various objects. In the middle of the floor was a large magic circle which Caster had just finished drawing.

"What's this?"

"This is an automated tracking Bounded Field. It actively tracks the movements of all magical beings within a 25km radius. But I haven't fine-tuned it yet, so the accuracy is that great, it's only able to pinpoint the target within a 1km radius."

"I see. Maybe I should try my own version as well."

Getting out a bag of black powder which I brought with me, I drew a circle with the appropriate symbols set apart in four quadrants on the ground in a corner of the room. Then, I began the incantation.

"minami no shinzō, kita no hitomi, nishi no yubisaki, higashi no kibisu, kaze mochite tsudoi ame haraite chire"

The circle started glowing blue, and in my mind I could see various numbers flashing past before my eyes. The symbols within the circle started animating, but soon I cut off the spell without saying its name and the light faded.

"Is that a tracking spell, goshuujin-sama?"

"Yes. Bakudō: Kakushitsujaku. It doesn't have great range, but it has extreme accuracy. Also, the more you train with it, the further your range. How long you maintain the spell also increases the range. My maximum is only a 15km diameter though."

"That's quite amazing actually, goshuujin-sama!"

"Well, I was thinking that if you could examine it and find a way to add it into your tracking Bounded Field."

"I see! As expected of my goshuujin-sama!"

-Night-

"Finally…it's night."

"Hmm?"

Opening my suitcase, I began changing. A dark-blue, long sleeved shirt, black pants, sandals, and a pair of black fingerless gloves. Also, I placed two pouches on my back of my waist and two sets of holsters at the sides of knees. Instead of wearing any armor under my clothes, they were Reinforced with runes, just like my other clothes.

"Goshuujin-sama…you look an awful lot like a ninja now."

I explained to Caster. The second family head, the founder's eldest son was out walking in the forest one day when he found an unconscious, injured woman. He brought her home and treated her. When she woke up, she tried to kill him before he explained who he was. Then, she told him about herself. She was a kunoichi, a female ninja, named Kaede, from a relatively small ninja clan, the Amanojaku clan, named after the yōkai of the same name. Her clan however, was too small to sustain themselves, and they were rarely hired. Then, the second head proposed to her. He said, 'If you agree to marry me, then I will accept your clan into our family, and in turn you will work for us, as well as train new generations of shinobi.' Kaede agreed, and they married into our family. Although it was just a convenient marriage for them at first, she started loving the second head for real, and her clan has been part of our lineage ever since.

"Wow, that's interesting. But, I thought you were more samurai-ish, Kousuke?"

"All children are given basic training when young, but at the age of seven they are given a choice of which to pursue. Swordsmanship, ninjutsu, or a regular life. My oldest sister chose the path of a ninja. In her own words, she said, 'I want to support my siblings from behind, just like a good older sister'. But some of us, through hard and extensive training, can train in both paths."

"Really? Goshuujin-sama is definitely more amazing than I thought!"

Yes. In fact, you could have no Magic Circuits but have the Mystic Eyes of Empowerment, just like Ayumi. The opposite is also true. But there is more to it though. That however, is a story for another time.

"Sorry Caster, but can you stay in spirit form, that way, my movements will be less hindered."

"It's all right, goshuujin-sama! Let's go!"

-Fuyuki City, Rooftops-

In quick fluid motions, I ran across the rooftops of the houses, making as little noise as possible, with Caster hovering at my back in spirit form.

"Anything, Caster?

"No, not yet, let's keep going."

As I continued crossing the rooftops, I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen tonight.

"Master, I found something!"

"What is it?!"

"It's quite far, I think it's in the other area of town!"

"Lead the way."

-Fuyuki City, Shinto Town-

From the rooftop, I saw it. A Servant dressed in black with long, light-purple hair was drinking the blood of a young woman!

"Caster, I'll grab her attention. Prepare a spell or something similar!"

"Master, wait!"

Activating my Mystic Eyes, I threw a few shuriken at her as I jumped off the roof!

"Uh!"

The Servant immediately noticed my attack and jumped out of the way, leaving the unconscious Servant on the ground. She's fast. Really fast! Faster than Saber, even! That aside, I already knew who the other six Servants were, so-

"You are Servant Rider, I presume."

"You…are no Servant. A Master? Challenging a Servant? You've got guts."

"Don't underestimate me, Rider. I'm not a normal Master."

"We'll see."

As I pulled out a pair of tanto, Rider materialized a nail dagger attached to a long chain with the ring at the end. And then, we began. Dashing at me, I sprinted to the right. Damn, she was fast! Thankfully, I was able to catch her movements with my Mystic Eyes.

"Uhk!"

I moved to the left as her dagger shot towards me, and as she pulled it back I knocked it off course, but she jumped up and caught it in her hand! Backtracking, I watched as she landed on all fours and carefully surveyed her surroundings. Her movements were just like that of a snake.

"You certainly are interesting…well then, are you prepared for more?"

"Bring it."

And we continued. Dashing throughout the area, most of the battle consisted of Rider throwing her dagger at me while I avoided and deflected it. And in a sudden change of tactics, she rushed at me and struck with her dagger! As I crossed blades with her, I could feel great power behind her eye mask, so I concluded that she had powerful Mystic Eyes hidden behind them. So, new plan. If she ever attempts to remove the mask, distract her immediately. Shuriken, Hadō, whatever.

"Tch."

Suddenly, the dagger flew at me even faster than before, and although I avoided it, Rider was suddenly behind me!

"Crap!"

I just managed to avoid a slash from the dagger, but I received a kick in return which sent me reeling, but I managed to stay on my feet. This won't do, I needed a new tactic to fight her. Taking notice of a numerous trees planted in the area, I formulated a new strategy. As we sprinted around the area, I put away my tanto and began throwing kunai. Although she dodged all of them, that wasn't my true goal.

After a few minutes, I had thrown about ten kunai, leaving me with only one left. Good, now all that's left is to lure her in place.

"Hah!"

Managing to deflect the dagger once more, I jumped out of the area as Rider dashed in. Did she notice? I hope not. As I landed, I immediately pulled with my hands. I had tied incredibly durable, razor sharp steel wire to the kunai which I threw into the trees. Now that I had pulled them tight, the wires should slow her down, even if just by a little bit.

"Tch, how did she do that."

But with superhuman reactions, she moved all of her limbs so that none of them were in contact with the wires.

"You're not bad…I never thought there would be a human this skilled."

"Oh, I'm not done yet."

Tilting my head to me left, I pulled out a match from a hidden pocket on my left shoulder and struck it against the abrasive surface of said pocket. See, those wires were already soaked in flammable oil, and all it needed was just a bit of fire.

"!"

I watched as the match ignited the oiled wire and flames rushed down the wires, setting the whole network ablaze with Rider in it. Just as I let out a breath, an attack to fast to see sped towards me.

"Guargh!"

I flinched as the dagger stabbed right into my left shoulder and grabbing it with my left hand, I watched as Rider jumped out of the blaze, holding onto the other end.

"You took the blaze just to launch a surprise attack…but I anticipated this too! Hadō: Tsuzuri Raiden!"

Instantly, a burst of electric-like prana sped down the conducting chain, and right into Rider, before she could react.

"Ugh!"

"Caster!"

Suddenly appearing from behind me, Caster held out both hands.

"This spell takes a while to form, but it was worth it!"

Rider and I watched as suddenly, massive pillars of ice started circling and closing in on Rider!

"Sennen Hyōrō."

And at and amazing speed, the ice pillars sped towards Rider and met with a massive crash!

"Did you get her?" I asked as I removed the dagger.

"Tch, no, she's still alive, but I got her."

The icy cloud faded and it revealed Rider, stuck with a crushed right arm and leg within the icy prison. If she had been a little slower, we would have got her. As we were about to finish her however, we were struck by a sense of danger.

"That was-"

"-Back from the temple! Let's go!"

"Right!"

And thus, we sped back to Ryuudouji, with Caster healing my wound on the way back.

XXX

-Back at Ryuudouji, while Kousuke and Caster are away-

The shadow wavered.

The black Servant sunk to the ground,

Then sprung up in an instant as he threw more daggers.

Somehow, while Caster and her Master were absent, Assassin had managed to sneak back into the temple, probably to gather intel on the two, but his timing was impeccably off, for at that same moment, another Servant had been sent to investigate.

It was Lancer.

After a brief skirmish which ended in Lancer smashing Assassin's chin, Assassin retreated to the back of the temple. If his leap is that of a deer, his movements are those of a spider, a snake, or a scorpion. Even while keeping his face hidden, this Servant is as fast as Lancer when it comes to retreat.

But Lancer's charge was still the fastest.

It is a disgrace to take even a minute to corner his enemy.

"Damn…I know I destroyed his throat, but he's persistent. It doesn't seem like it healed, so he must be drugged…"

The enemy glided across the water like a spider, and Lancer pursued him. In contrast, water sprayed from his footsteps, but his speed was far greater.

"Hmph. If I'd known the pain wouldn't stop him, I would have cut his joints. I put that off since it doesn't work against other opponents, but…"

It is fatal for a human to be cut at the joints, where the main arteries lie. If the arteries are severed, death from severe bleeding would follow. But that is only in normal combat. You cannot expect a Servant, a heroic spirit, to die from excessive bleeding. As their lifeforce is magical energy, cutting their arteries does not have much effect. The loss of a limb is another story, but cutting off a Servant's limbs is a difficult task. Doing so will likely cause you to lose your own head in the progress.

"Hashish, huh? I bet a heroic spirit who relies on drugs has no healing powers. I'll end this fight with me next attack."

Water splashes with lightning speed. His next attack will strike in two more seconds. He tensed, then struck at his fleeing enemy's left leg-

"!"

With a start, Lancer jumped back from the water's surface.

-Water exploded upward.

No, something beneath the water is snarling.

Black tendrils snaked out of the water, reaching for the spearman.

Is it because this creature dwelled underwater?

It seemed to resemble a deep-sea monster from ancient times.

"WHAT THE-"

Lancer had nowhere to run. He instantly carved all his runes on the bottom of the lake to create a Bounded Field, but unlike those of Caster's, it was easily penetrated.

The dark tentacles were closing in from all sides, and his territory was shrinking by the second. The protection from all his runes, which can even block a great Noble Phantasm, does not even slow down the penetration.

Watching Lancer-

"WHaT iS WrOng, LAncEr? It wILl SwaLLow yOu if yOU Do nOT MoVe."

Assassin sneered.

But even the sneering spider is no exception.

It seems these tendrils must engulf everything they can reach, as the spider did not approach the dark water.

He knew that if he drew nearer, they would take interest in new prey.

"BuT I wiLL nOt aLLow THat. I MuST KiLL You. I nEEd mOrE EXperIenCE. I sHaLL KiLL YoU To aDD tO mY iNtELLigeNCe."

The spider's dagger glimmered.

The weapon about to be released is just a projectile.

But is it not meaningless?

Even though Lancer is surrounded by ghastly limbs, projectiles are meaningless against him.

"You don't give up, do you? Well, I can understand why you feel that way"

Lancer observed the ghastly limbs around him.

He was lured quite far in, but it's only about 30 metres to the opposite shore.

He should be easily able to jump across that distance!

"You lost because you wouldn't move from there. I'm done with my investigation, so I'm out of here.

Lancer crouched low and braced his lance against the ground.

Using it as support, he vaulted into the air.

There…

"Wh—at?"

He is struck by the simplest of attacks.

A fake heart was taken out of Lancer's chest.

Assassin had directly gouged out Lancer's heart from the opposite shore, an impossible range.

It is the purest magic, the simplest curse.

It is the 'cursed hand', a magic of the Middle East, specialized in cursing people.

Assassin's Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya.

It surely destroys Lancer's heart, and the powerless body of the spearman falls back into the black water.

The surface boiled.

It was hectic, ferocious, and vulgar.

You would not see such a gruesome meal even if meat was thrown into a cage of starving beasts.

Numerous black limbs eliminated the human-shaped heroic spirit.

Consuming.

Devouring.

Making it one of its own.

And watching it in delight as he stood on the shore of the lake,

The faceless Servant swallowed the heart of his prey with satisfaction.

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Ryuudouji-

Finally, we arrived at the temple. But the atmosphere was terrible. So terrible, that I almost felt like puking.

"Caster…"

"Yes. It's coming from the lake behind the temple."

"How are the people inside the temple?"

"They're all alive…but I can't guarantee it if they stay here any longer…what do we do now, Master?"

"We leave. We'll stay the night in a hotel. Tomorrow morning we'll return, and the first thing we do is get everyone out of the temple. Then, we'll check your mirrors."

"Alright. Understood, Master."

And thus, we turned around and left to find a decent hotel in Fuyuki. I was right. Something was happening in this war, and I didn't like it.

* * *

There's goes the next chapter! And where is our Tsukihime Remake?! It's been too long! And Ataraxia's translation has been stuck at 99% for too long! What are they doing?! And Mahoyo as well! That one definitely needs to be sped up. Well, we're back at the end of another chapter. Once again, thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following! Thus, we shall meet again in another chapter! And I've decided to drop the capitalism thing. I haven't played Recettear in a while anyway ( -.-)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Death of a Great Warrior**

More Servants dying. Soon we'll only be left with the most important ones relevant to the fic. And yes, Goldie still gets eaten by Angra. No one likes him anyway (lol)

WARNING: Before anyone reads and complains about it, this chapter is about what happens on Day 7 (Saber+Archer VS Zouken) and Day 8 (Saber VS Assassin). There is barely any action from Kousuke or Caster, so except for some minor storyline tweaks to adjust for the different Caster, it's pretty much identical to the actual VN. So unless you're completely bored or forgot about the contents of the route, feel free to read on, but don't say I didn't warn you. And for those of you who didn't completely forget the route, but wonder if you want to skip this, I'll summarize it. Saber gets eaten by the shadow. There you go.

EXTRA WARNING: Seriously, read the above warning again. Even after reading the warning and you want to read the chapter but find that it has less new content than you thought and feel dissatisfied and want to review with an extremely long rant and complaint, it's all your own fault.

Disclaimer: Kohappi~

* * *

-Kousuke-

-Day 7, 6th December (Wednesday), Ryuudouji-

After leaving the hotel, I made straight for Ryuudouji with Caster. Upon our arrival, we noticed that the sickening feeling had lessened somewhat, but still lingered in the air. After requesting an audience with the head monk, we told him that he and the monks had to evacuate as soon as possible.

"May I know the reason?"

"Something terrible is brewing in Fuyuki," I answered "A great disaster is about to happen."

"I see…I understand. I'll call my son home from school and inform the monks immediately."

"Thanks you for your understanding and cooperation."

To be honest, I was surprised that they agreed so willingly. In the worst case scenario, I would have Caster hypnotize all the monks and have them leave. I didn't want to, but I had too. Sighing, the head monk spoke.

"In the past, terrible things have happened in this city. And with each passing event, they have gotten worse and worse."

Suddenly, the head monk bowed at us.

"Yagami-sama, please save our city. I beg of you. In our absence, you may use our temple in any way you want."

"…You have my word."

-Guest house-

With all the monks evacuated safely, Caster began making breakfast while I fell onto the futon with a groan. My whole body was sore and aching from last night's skirmish, and even after Caster healed my shoulder wound, my brain still remembered the feeling of Rider's dagger piercing my flesh. Slowly, I inched towards one of my bags, making sure Caster didn't notice me.

XXX

-Caster-

"Hm hm hm~"

Since we rushed back to the temple early in the morning, we hadn't had breakfast yet, so I was now preparing it for the both of us. Yesterday was a stressful night for me…even though Kousuke said that he would be doing melee combat while I fully Reinforced his body and augmented his physical skills while preparing my own spells, I still don't like seeing him fighting…Servants are supposed to fight Servants, not Masters. That aside, Master really is incredible…even with all that magical enhancement, he is still a human, and he's able to fight Servants at the most basic level…but every morning after we encounter a Servant, Master doesn't show it, but I know that his body is aching from the exertion…I really have to talk to him about changing our battle strategy…eh? What's that smell? This is…blood?!

"Goshuujin-sama?!"

XXX

-Kousuke-

I hastily turned around as I heard Tamamo call my name and stuffed the empty pack back into the bag.

"Yes, Tamamo?"

"I smelt blood! Are you alright?"

"Yes, why? You must have imagined it."

"If you say so…goshuujin-sama…"

I watched as Caster went back into the kitchen and let out a small sigh. Usually, I would only do this whenever Tamamo wasn't anywhere near me, but I needed it this morning.

"Well, I guess I should go help her…"

XXX

-Shirou-

-Homurahara Gakuen-

Once again, I was up on the rooftop with Tohsaka. Because I skipped school the day after she told me about her suspicions about Ryuudouji, she thought that I had went to the temple to face off with Caster and something had happened to me.

"So it was just a fever."

"Yeah, sorry for making you worried I guess."

"Well, I guess you must not be a complete idiot, since you didn't go running of to Ryuudouji after I gave you the information."

Tohsaka sighed.

"But still, what the hell is going on up there?"

"What do you mean?"

"Last night, a huge spike in mana levels was detected at the temple. But this morning it was back to normal."

"What?!"

A huge mana spike?! Did any Servants get into a fight at the temple? As I asked her that question, she replied.

"Most probably. But…it was strange…from what Archer told me, the mana wasn't a Servant's or a Master's."

"Really?"

"And that's not all. In the same night, Archer told me he saw a woman being attacked by what seemed to be a black shadow."

"Shadow?"

"Yes. He tried to save her, but the shadow escaped and the woman was already dead. It's most probably a Servant who did that."

Yeah…Assassin.

"I see…so, what do you think?"  
"Huh? Me?"

"Yeah, you think it's strange, don't you? I don't think you'll forfeit from the war. But don't you want to clear up all this stuff about Ryuudouji and the black shadow before you start fighting for the Holy Grail? You want to put off fighting Masters until after that?"

"You're right. This Holy Grail War is suspicious. It seems different from the one I heard about from my dad. I think there's something different going on where we can't see it."

"Then Tohsaka…"

"Yes, I won't follow the rules of the Holy Grail War until I'm convinced. It can't be helped if I'm being used, but I don't like not knowing the harm I may be imposing on others. You don't like such a thing right? So I'm not going to be fighting other Masters until I get this cleared up."

"I see…can I take this as a truce offer?"

"If you would accept it. If you won't fight me until this case is settled, then I won't hurt you either."

Tohsaka asked me silently with her eyes. She doesn't even need to ask.

"That's my line. I won't fight you as long as you don't come attacking me. And even if there comes a time when we do fight, it'll be fair and square. Until then-"

"Then it's decided. I expected you to agree, but I'm glad to hear it all the same."

"Huh?"

Tohsaka held out her right hand. I realized that she wanted to shake hands, so…

"Y-Yeah, please give me your best regards."

"All right, our contract is set. Please give me your best regards too, Emiya-kun."

-Night, Park-

"…!"

The instant I stepped into the park, the abnormal presence made me feel like vomiting. The air was polluted here. The stench of rot and decay seeped into my nose. My gastric juices were regurgitated just by standing there. The discomfort and dizziness almost broke my mind.

"Emiya-kun?!"

Saber and I were just as surprised as Tohsaka and Archer at each other's presence. But we weren't the only ones there.

"Hm? New enemies?"

And that old man, Matou Zouken. I understood the situation right away. Tohsaka was fighting Matou Zouken. I saw dozens of something so small I couldn't distinguish them surrounding Tohsaka. Archer had many more around him. It seemed that Matou Zouken used those things to attack them.

"Hm. Well if it isn't Saber's Master. So you've prepared a backup? For Tohsaka's daughter, you are surprisingly smart."

"You're wrong. Archer and I are more than enough to beat a confession out of you. They're just spectators. They have nothing to do with me."

Tohsaka continued to glare at Zouken, but her back was…

"_What were you thinking, coming at a time like this!? Do you want to die?!_"

…harshly scolding me.

"Shirou."

"I know. This isn't the time to be arguing with Tohsaka."

Just as how Tohsaka was not looking away from the old man, I could sense danger from him.

"Hm. I wanted to keep this hidden, but I guess it cannot be helped. I cannot survive against two Servants."

He made a sound with his cane. The instant it struck the bricks beneath his feet, something horrifying rose up from the ground before him.

"Th-Those things! How?!" exclaimed Tohsaka.

Emerging from the ground before him were a number of grotesque demons that seemed to be comprised of masses of tentacles with circular mouth-like openings marked with shark-like blades. Saber balked when she saw them, then yelled at Zouken.

"How is this possible?! They should have been completely destroyed when Caster was killed!"

"You know these creatures, Saber? That should not happen. Servants do not retain memories from previous wars. But I guess, you are an exception."

"Saber…what are those things?!"

"They're familiars…used by the Caster of the previous Grail War."

"What?!"

"Both the previous War's Caster and his Master were deranged, bloodthirsty maniacs. They held no regard for human life and conducted mass murder in the city. Those creatures were used by Caster in battle as well as to murder innocents…"

"That's horrible!"

Zouken nodded.

"Indeed. The problem was so serious, the Overseer of that War proclaimed that the Caster must be stopped before the War could continue, and was gave an extra Command Spell to the Master of the Servant who killed it. Right, Saber."

Saber simply stared him down.

"Answer me, how did you come into possession of them, let alone keep them alive for so long without their master?!"

"I was interested, in their nature, and somehow managed to capture some of them. Then, I learned that they would survive as long as they are fed on flesh, blood and prana. I was also delightfully surprised when they stayed alive after Caster's demise. And so, I continuously fed them with a healthy supply of fresh livestock and my prana until a day came where I would require their services."

"You!"

Enraged, Saber dashed at Zouken, but one of the tentacle monsters leapt at her. Of course, Saber easily sliced it in half, but the creature's insides let out a sickening cloud of purple fog which would have been deadly to a human, but was completely ignored by Saber. Slashing her way through the rest of the Horrors, Matou Zouken seemed to have disappeared. He sacrificed his eldritch abominations to escape. But-

"Archer!"

"Hm?!"

That was why Saber took care of the Horrors. Archer ignored them completely, pursued their controller, and…

"That's it."

Cut Matou Zouken's body in half.

"Guh-"

Zouken's upper body fell to the ground.

"Hm?! Ugh, my…"

A dragging sound. Even though blood and entrails were spilling out of his body, the old man still lived. He crawled across the ground with his arms, trying to get away from Archer.

"This is the end, magus. My past experiences have taught me to quickly finish off monsters like you."

Archer raised his falchion above Zouken. That was the end. No matter how immortal Matou Zouken was, he will die once his head is crushed. And he was almost dead already. It's not like he has self-healing powers like Servants, and his horrific wound was taking him closer to death every second. But unwilling to take any chances, Archer killed the magus with his sword.

"…What?"

No, he tried to kill Zouken but stopped. It's not only Archer who felt it. Everyone here did. Tohsaka, Saber, Archer and I. Even Matou Zouken, hovering on the edge of death, shuddered at its appearance.

Darkness covered the park.

The damp air froze in an instant.

My heart was beating at a higher pitch, but the rate was slower.

Something bad was close by.

So I had to run away.

I can't concern myself with that thing.

My body understood it instinctively, yet refused to move.

It was meaningless to run away.

My body knew that.

I moved my trembling body and turned my numb neck. I looked towards the entrance of the park. There…

…stood the 'shadow'.

Space was distorted. I wanted to believe it was just my imagination, a product of my disordered sense of balance caused by extreme tension. I've never seen anything like it. It's insubstantial, as if a shadow suddenly stood up. Its existence was so light that it could be blown away. And yet, its presence dominated the place. It lacked intelligence and reason, and probably wasn't even alive. The black shadow stood there like a mirage. So…

Why did I find it so familiar?

"Impossible."

I heard a hoarse voice. The only one able to speak here was the dying old man.

"Impossible, impossible, impossible!"

He crawled while screaming. Matou Zouken pulled himself away from Archer and out of the park. It's not that Zouken had that much strength left. It's just that…fear of the shadow drove him.

Nobody was able to move. Tohsaka and I stood still, transfixed with fear. Even Archer and Saber seemed entranced. It was like…a deep sea monster. The shadow swayed in the silent world where everything was still.

And…

It showed something like a will for the first time.

"Ah-"

It lacked limbs, eyes or a body. Yet it still cast a shadow at its base. Outlined by moonlight, the shadow began to stretch and elongate. Like a snake that had found its prey, it pointed at Tohsaka and-

"…"

Oblivious to the change, Tohsaka did not move. Saber was too far away. Archer had started running, but he would not make it in time.

"Toh-"

The shadow lashed out. Without showing any sign, the shadow abruptly covered tens of meters and…

"-saka, watch out!"

I frantically pushed Tohsaka aside.

"…-kun?!"

I couldn't hear her voice. The instant I pushed Tohsaka away, something engulfed me. A splashing sound and a sensation on something trying to crush my body.

"-Ah."

My presentiment wasn't wrong. Water had come crushing down on me, and I was now sinking into the sea.

But it's hot. This seawater was too hot. Boiling coal tar. It stuck to my skin and cut off my life, and I didn't feel like I was in the sea.

"Ah….guh….."

And the world turned to static, right before it turned to black.

-Some time later-

"…kun, Emiya-kun!"

"Agh…gu."

I woke up. My body was hot. My nausea wasn't fading, my head was shaking, and I couldn't even stand up by myself.

"Are you awake, can you tell who I am?!"

She slapped my cheeks.

"I can tell. Only Tohsaka would slap someone at a time like this."

"…Good. I guess you're alright if you can talk back like that."

…That was just my honest opinion right now.

"You idiot, why are you smiling? I'm not going to thank you, okay? Don't ever do that again. I can't return the favor if you die trying to save me."

She glared at me. But Tohsaka was still rubbing my back with one hand and holding my hand with the other to check my temperature.

"Tohsaka, what happened to that weird thing?"

"It disappeared. It vanished when you stepped onto the shadow and fainted…I think it came from over that way."

"I see. But I think I was entangled in it for a while."

"Really? It hasn't even been 10 seconds since you pushed me, see?"

"Shirou!"

Saber ran up to me.

"You acted reckless again!"

Saber supported me and pulled me away from Tohsaka.

"Get away, Archer's Master. I shall treat you as an enemy if you come any closer to my Master."

"What? I'm your enemy as well?"

"Of course. You are a Master, and Archer is with you. I do not know why Shirou protected you, but I cannot let you near my Master before my eyes."

Saber glared at Tohsaka. Crap, guess I never told Saber about our current truce.

"No, you're wrong Saber, we made a truce, and we're at peace now."

"But…understood. I will not fight her if that is your will."

"Yeah, I'm sorry…I can't talk anymore."

I endured the nausea and the chill that tried to get me unconscious. I have to get home before I faint. I have to stay conscious.

"So, you survived huh? Well you didn't touch the main body, so the most it could do was get you ill."

Archer approached. He was expressionless even though Zouken got away, and was the only calm one there.

"Archer. Do you know what that shadow is?"

"Who knows, But that shadow is definitely the one that has been draining the life from the townspeople lately."

He answered as if not interested. Then, Archer looked down at me, lying on the ground.

"It seems this is no time to pursue personal grudges. Is that right, Emiya Shirou?"

"What?"

"As for what that shadow was, your intuition was correct. Hmph. I am summoned as a Servant, but I'm to fight it after all."

"Archer…who are you?"

"I see…you are not a guardian yet. Then you must not have fought something like that before…It seems that I'll be doing the same thing no matter where I go."

The knight in red beckoned Tohsaka to go. But right before they left…

"No…it's not that hopeless. It has not occurred yet. I might be able to finish it beforehand, or I might end up cleaning after the event. I might have a chance of stopping it this time.

He looked up at the sky and murmured those words.

XXX

-Day 8, 7th December (Thursday), Emiya Household-

After talking to Saber and before leaving for school, I decided to give Kousuke a call. To tell him about what happened yesterday night. But, when I tried to…

"Save your breath. We already saw everything that happened there.'

"You did?! How?"

"My Servant is Caster. It's a bit late to tell you, but most of the streets of Fuyuki are under our surveillance. The only places where we can't watch are inside buildings and such."

"I see…do you know…what that shadow was?"

"Unfortunately, no. But, what we could tell was that that thing is extremely dangerous. Even through Caster's mirrors, we could feel its extreme evil from all the way over there."

"That's too bad…"

"I have something else to tell you. About Ryuudouji."

"What?"

"I have told all the monks in the temple to evacuate."

"Eh? Why?"

"I fear that there may be something potentially dangerous under the temple, especially near the lake. I had Caster place seals, barriers and Bounded Fields throughout the whole area, but there is no guarantee that we'll be able to keep it, whatever it is, at bay."

"I see…thanks. One of my friends lives at Ryuudouji. It's good to know that he'll be well away from this war."

"Is he the son of the head monk?"

"Yes, he is. Ryuudou Issei. Do you know him?"

"Yes, we have met, but we barely talked. Well anyway, I have to hang up now-"

"Ah, wait!"

"Yes?"

"I almost forgot. I have made a truce with Tohsaka as well."

"Tohsaka…the Second Owner?"

'Um…I think so. But she doesn't know about our truce yet."

"What kind of truce was it?"

"A ceasefire until we've figured out what is wrong with this war, especially that shadow."

"So? Do you expect us to meet up, at some point?"

"Well, that would be for the best."

'I see. What about tonight?"

Tonight? No…tonight Saber and I would attempt to go an challenge the shadow, so it wasn't a good idea.

"What about…tomorrow?"

"Alright then. I'll be looking forward to it, Shirou."

"Thanks for understanding. Bye."

And we hung up.

-Night-

Since I had divided the workload between myself and Tohsaka, tonight, Saber and I were to go search for the shadow and investigate it.

"So, where do we investigate, Shirou?"

"Well…Kousuke and Caster pretty much have Ryuudouji covered. If something appears there, they would realize instantly. So let's go search the city. We'll investigate the areas where most people have fallen unconscious."

"Very well Shirou. Let's go."

-Somewhere in Fuyuki-

Carefully, we entered the shrine. According to the evening news, the family that was taking care of this shrine fell into a coma around midnight, so we were now investigating it. Going through the compound and climbing up the entryway, we carefully walked through the dark wooden hallway, and the floor creaked with each step.

"Nothing seems strange…How about you, Saber?"

"It is the same for me. But, I can't help but feel like someone has been watching us…ever since we entered."

"Yeah…me too."

As we were about to walk behind the shrine, at that instant!

"Shirou!"

"Saber?!"

I was shoved into the shrine by Saber. Realizing that she just pushed me, I tried to go back out to the hallway, but the exit has been firmly shut by Saber!

"Saber?! What are you doing, you idiot?!"

I banged on the door. I had no idea what kind of magic it was, but the door was as hard as steel.

"Hey, what are you doing, Saber!?"

The door refused to budge, even when I threw my weight against it. And from the other side of the door-

"Please protect yourself there, Shirou! This opponent will only target you!"

"What?! Who's the enemy?! Is it that shadow?!"

"No! But this Servant is the natural enemy of Masters! I am sorry, but I cannot protect you at the battleground. I have to fight Assassin one-on-one, of he will kill you first!"

"Assassin?!"

I didn't even sense him! Wait, I have to call Kousuke!"

"…Tch, no signal."

"I will finish the battle with one blow. Please do not move until then!"

Saber's presence faded. Her footsteps were loud. She must have repelled Assassin's attacks as she charged within range.

"Damn."

Looking around, I picked up a stick the length of a sword and did my best to Reinforce it.

"Hurry…"

I have to make this into a sword and break down the door. An ominous feeling, a mysterious uneasiness, filled my mind. Although Saber could definitely handle Assassin on her own, for some reason it felt like a fatal mistake to leave Saber out there all alone, so I have to hurry and-!

"!?"

The lights went out. What little light that was shining into the shrine vanished. The moonlight has been blocked off by clouds.

"…!"

I smelt something. The smell of rotten meat and the sound of bugs flying around.

"…Matou Zouken."

I glared into the darkness.

"Hah. Talk about walking into a trap, young lad."

A snicker. That old magus. He was hiding somewhere.

"Saber…"

I readied the Reinforced weapon. I had no fear, even with a century-old monster in front of me. The only thoughts in my mind were that of concern for Saber.

XXX

She ran across the hallway to corner the skull mask. The fifteen metres between them have been reduced to five. Saber should be able to close in with one step and slash her enemy along with the skull mask.

But the enemy knew that as well. He used projectile weapons because he knewhe will be no match at close range, and he retreats because he did not want her coming near him. Although not as fast as Saber, the skull still retreated with the speed of a running beast. He slithered across the floor, not slowing down even at corners. Does he have eyes on the back of his head, or is his mask on the back of his head. Assassin steadily retreated from the opponent, maintaining the distance between them.

-A spray of sparks. Three daggers are released without any motion, but have no effect on Saber. Like Lancer, Saber has protection against projectile weapons. Lancer reads the course of the projectile attack using the sound of cutting air and the enemy's murderous intent. Saber uses the cutting air and her own instinct. 'Imperceivable attacks' are not much of a threat against Heroic Spirits. It is those attacks that cannot be blocked, even when detected and understood, that are the fatal ones.

In that regard, Lancer's lance is appropriate to be called a Noble Phantasm. A weapon that always strikes the heart cannot be blocked merely by knowing about it. If one is to oppose that demonic lance, one must prepare a shield overwhelming the magical energy of the lance, have great enough luck to change the fate of the lance, or prevent him from using the lance in the first place.

Compared to that, Assassin's daggers are easy to manage. They can be fatal if they strike any vital points, but they are no different from throwing stones.

"Tch."

Over 40 Darks have been thrown. Having used up his supply of daggers, Assassin stopped.

"Mm-"

Saber stopped as well, hesitating. The enemy that did not want her to come near stopped. There was something, for sure, and an ominous feeling surrounded Assassin. This was no situation where she could step in without care.

"Have you given up, Assassin?"

Saber knew it was best to kill Assassin now, but she took a step back in spite of that. She should not advance. The instincts she had sharpened over the years have kept her alive for a long time. Those instincts were screaming. Do not advance. Stay away from the deep darkness.

"Yes, I have given up Saber. I am out of ammunition. I was ready to be killed in one blow, so why are you not coming any closer?"

"…"

Saber did not answer and raised her sword a bit. She pointed her sword at the enemy. There were seven metres between them. I would take two steps to get close enough to strike. As a swordsman, she must close in on her opponent. But she has a secret technique that can be used at all ranges, though it can only be used once.

Assassin's black cloak fluttered. He did not know where the wind was coming from.

"Hah, so you do not wish to talk to me? Well, talk is voluntary. Let me talk as I wish."

Assassin's voice was strong and clear, in contrast to his appearance. Saber narrowed her eyes, thinking that his voice was similar to Lancer's.

"But how did you repel them? I threw my daggers so that you would not be able to see them. Were you able to perceive them?"

"I could not, but I could read their course. I would not be using this sword of I was afraid of what I could not see."

"Haha. I see. So I was never a match for you. I am an Assassin, after all. I cannot be expected to match other Servants. We are beings that lurk in shadow. There are no Heroic Spirits appropriate for this role."

"What-"

"Therefore, our role is to assassinate. We are failures that only specialize in killing Masters, not Servants. Well, in that regard, there was only one target for me. Do you understand, Saber? All my actions tonight were done to kill your Master."

"-Shirou."

"Exactly. My Master is welcoming your Master. Even though you have separated me from him, he will soon feed Zouken's worms if you do not hurry."

"!"

Light emanated from Saber's sword. Or rather, the golden sword was revealing its true shape.

"Oh! So you were hiding your sword with the curse of the wind. I see, you can attack me with mere air pressure from where you are standing. There is no need for you to step into the land of death."

The black cloak sunk. The prey he was supposed to lure in turned out to have a projectile attack. There was no place for schemes now. If Saber intends to kill Assassin without coming close, then he must close the distance to kill her first.

"Our positions are reversed now, Assassin. Will you step into Invisible Air?"

"What a terrible woman, telling me to jump into a swarm of locusts. Yet a dragon's fury will soon be unleashed…well, this is a dilemma."

The skull mask crawled on the ground. It looked like a spider on a wall. The compressed wind became a swirl of vacuum, ready to be unleashed at Assassin. He must be insane. Does he think he can survive the fatal whirlwind by lying flat on the ground?

"Well, this should be the end no matter what. But let me talk before that. You said that you can beat me one-on-one, is that correct?"

Saber raised her sword. He cannot even withdraw while he was talking. Saber was staring at Assassin. Even if Assassin were to teleport, she would kill him before it even took place.

"That is why you drew him away from your Master. You were correct to protect him from me."

Her sword was raised above her head. With the attack poised to strike, Assassin crawled even lower.

"But did that decision include protecting yourself?"

An inquiring voice. To that…

"-I am in a hurry. Farewell, Assassin."

Saber replied in a single attack.

The match was decided. Unlike the simple, instant but still strong burst of wind used against Kousuke, this windstorm was like a heavenly dragon, its serpentine body winding about to devour its prey. There was no chance of defense or evasion. This is like Lancer's lance. This is a blow that cannot be blocked unless one has more magical energy than the full power of Invisible Air.

Assassin's magical energy is far short of Saber's. The only way for him to survive the attack was to prevent Saber from releasing it. But that is too late, and the whirlwind had been released. His black cloak will be torn to shreds a mere second after the blade descended. The dislocation of death closed in with a swirl. With that in front of him…

"**مع هذه اللعنة، أنا محمية من الرياح**!"

Assassin charged at the wave of vacuum with a yell of delight.

"—Guh…!"

An attack aimed for the neck. Saber repelled in at once, and the black figure vaulted overhead to land behind her.

"You-!"

In a flash, she turned and slashed behind her. But Assassin had already jumped out of her range. At the same time-

"—What?"

The 'ominous presence' she has been feeling has covered the ground beneath her.

"Well. You were unfortunate in two ways, Saber."

The shadow expanded. The mud-like pollution invaded on her silver.

"One is affinity. A curse to ward of storms is a necessity for travelers in the desert. The only magic I know is the warding of wind. And-"

Darkness swallowed the pathway. A shadow that did not reveal itself even in the moonlight. And-

She saw it dimly, through the haze of her fading consciousness.

"Assassin—You—;

"That's right, Saber. The other is that you chose this place as the battlefield. You should have known something ominous inhabited this place."

"Ah—"

She cannot even hear Assassin's words. She would disappear in a matter of seconds. This shadow swallows Servants. Her body detested it before her fading mind.

"Ha-h…AAAAHHHH!"

She did not care how. She had to escape, even if she used up all her prana. Only her feet have been engulfed. If she fought with all her power, she could still break free. Even if she may lose most of her prana and both her feet, escaping this shadow was top priority now. But-

"No. You will disappear here, Saber."

The shadow was not her only enemy. The skull, watching Saber get swallowed, was Death that would finish her off.

"So…from the start!"

"You said you could beat me one-on-one. Yes, that was your mistake. You are alone, but there are two on my side. I merely had to distract you."

The shadow kept invading.

"…! Ah! Guh…hah!"

Her existence rotted from her feet. She could not feel her toes or feet. Her legs were already something that did not exist in this world.

"Servants cannot oppose al-layl, the true night. All the more if you are a proper Heroic Spirit. Even I, one who is close to it, get my prana drained if I touch it. A genuine like you should lose consciousness just by touching it. But that would be a shameful waste. My goal cannot be accomplished if I let you disappear. I shall take your heart."

"What—you will?"

"Is it strange? I have run out of daggers, and I cannot go near the shadow. Do you think it's impossible for me to kill you?"

Murderous intent lighted up the skull. Faint traces of prana gathered in his right arm. Assassin's right arm is a stick. A deformed arm without a hand that cannot be used as an arm. It could not hold a dagger, nor could it be used to strike someone. But now, that arm bends. With the snap of breaking bones, it flapped like a tattered wing.

It was an abomination.

What a long arm.

The clubbed stump at its end was actually the elbow. The arm was folded back at the elbow, with the hand stitched to Assassin's shoulder.

"—"

Saber's mind froze. It would reach. That arm will reach her. It would reach her and rip her heart out. His arm flapped, sending a shudder through her body, and-

The cursed arm was thrust like a lance.

A sound of cutting meat and gushing blood.

Her blood dripped onto the floor, staining the shadow crimson.

"…ki."

Madness leaked out of the skull mask.

The outstretched arm is stained red.

After finishing its job, the arm folded back to Assassin.

"Ki, kikikikikikikiki!"

And is severed at the elbow.

"Y-You! How dare you do that with that dying body of yours!"

"Haa…haa…"

Her upraised sword fell to the ground. Assassin's cursed arm did not reach Saber. Saber's sword had cut the cursed arm before it could gouge out the reflected image of the heart. No matter how cornered she may be, Assassin's Noble Phantasm was not enough to kill Saber.

No. As she has blocked Lancer's lance, which reversed cause and effect, she could not allow herself to be defeated by this cursed arm.

"Ah…guh…"

But that was her last act of resistance. She had put the power to escape into that attack. She has no power to escape now, and even if she did, it would be too late. The ominous presence now emanated from within herself. The shadow had invaded her legs and was now up to her waist. She was becoming part of the darkness, which swallowed up even moonlight. Then…everything was too late.

The shadow crept up. As her vision faded, the silver swordsman…

"I'm sorry…Shirou…"

Managed one last, apologetic gasp before sinking into the deep mud.

XXX

-Shirou-

I was knocked to the ground. And the next thing I knew, Zouken was gone and in his place…was Assassin.

"—"

I'm going to die. Pain on my left hand. My numb mind. My heart accepted the death coming in the next moment and pounded loudly. And I accepted the weapons thrown at my forehead, throat, heart and stomach.

A flash of silver light repelled the weapons. The four daggers that tried to take my life are blocked.

"—"

There's only one person that would do such a thing. My left hand still hurt. My Command Spells were still there. Then-

"Sa-…ber?"

"What?"

Looking up, I saw that my savior was none other than-

"Ri…der?"

"…"

There was no doubt about it. That was definitely Shinji's Servant, Rider. Why was she here, and why did she save me?!

"Are you going to oppose me…!? I don't care! Assassin! Kill her too is she gets in our way!"

The skull answered Zouken's screamed command. The long hair fluttered.

And the fight was on. Knowing how Rider easily lost to Saber, I expected her to be defeated by the hail of daggers thrown by Assassin, but-

"Wha-"

I realized the abnormality after the superiority was made clear. The daggers have not hit her. Not a single one of those dozens of daggers hit their target.

"You-"

A voice came from overhead. Apparently out of knives, Assassin looked down at his enemy with undisguised loathing. There…

…existed one giant serpent.

I couldn't believe it. So many. Rider evaded the countless daggers with pure speed. It was different from when she saved me. Rider avoided all the daggers by crawling on the ground, as if saying there was no need to repel them.

"What are you playing around for, Assassin?! You don't need to go easy just because she's my grandson's Servant! Finish her!"

"I cannot do that…she is different from before."

Assassin stared at Rider while clinging from the ceiling. Rider was different from before. Her magical energy and coercion were on a whole new level. Even if she's still not as strong as Saber, she certainly was stronger that Assassin. Sinking her body even lower, she suddenly jumped up to the ceiling, while Assassin jumped down to the floor, their blades clashing in midair.

"Kii!"

They landed facing away from each other. Rider was unharmed, but in contrast, Rider's dagger was piercing Assassin's shoulder.

"I can't pull it out?!"

Assassin attempted to pull out the dagger, but with a clinking of chain links-

'W—Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

Rider hurled Assassin through the air!

"Gah-gii-"

The skull mask let out a scream of anguish. Not saying a word, Rider continued mercilessly swinging Assassin about the room. It was just like a flail. Unable to do anything, Assassin was smashed against every surface in the room, his limbs bending in all directions.

"Whoa!"

I ducked to avoid Assassin coming in like a whirlwind. This isn't just on a level of being strong. After flailing Assassin to her content, she used the centrifugal force and let go. It was just like a hammer throw. Assassin, his bones broken, was thrown into a wall head-first.

"Gah!"

He flew away. Like a piece of lifeless trash, the masked Servant was thrown through the wall, out of the compound and over the wall, leaving trails of blood wherever he struck.

"Oh…wow."

How brutal. I'm sure Servants weren't as weak as too die from that, but he should be unable to continue fighting, at the very least.

"…Fool."

Zouken's presence disappeared. He must think he was at a disadvantage, since he fled after snarling a curse at Rider. All the worms within the shrine followed him out as well.

-Shrine Hallway-

"…"

I understood right away that this was the place. The corridor was silent. The whole place was destroyed as if a storm passed by. In it…was a small red stain on the only part of the ground that hadn't been destroyed. I couldn't tell whose blood it was. But, my legs lost strength the instant I saw it, and I crumpled to my knees.

"…"

I reached out and touched it. The blood was dry, and didn't stick to my fingers. The only thing the stain told me was that she disappeared here.

"_My role is to protect you, Shirou._"

How many times did I hear that line? Those words were a comfort and a source of worry. She only cared about me, and never said anything about protecting herself.

"…"

I scratched at the mark. Saber fought here and fell here. That's what happens in battle. I knew before I made a contract with her that this would be a battle to the death. I accepted the fact and took her hand, and she merely answered me.

"Saber…"

The girl who protected me, even though she was smaller than me. When I told her I wanted to put priority on the black shadow over the Holy Grail, she simple nodded, ignoring the premonitions of her end. And this was the result. I lost her, lost my rights as a Master, and am back to being an amateur. I am now alone, with no means of fighting…

…I have to carry through with what I have to do.

"—Then I have to go."

I slowly rubbed the bloodstain one more time. That's it. I didn't bow or thank her, and let my fingers go. Pain assailed my left hand, and it disappeared. The moment I acknowledged her death and said goodbye, the Command Spell on my left hand disappeared without a trace. One does not just lose the Command Spell because one has lost his Servant. It only disappears when a magus loses his right to be a Master.

"I see. So I…"

I don't know what happened here tonight, but there is only one certainty. I lost Saber…and lost my rights…to be a Master…

* * *

And here we go, the end of this chapter! Thank god that's over. Now that we finally got Saber's defeat over, we can move onto the more 'interesting' stuff. That aside, I decided to drop the ninja abilities of Kousuke. Not that he doesn't have them anymore, but he's not going to use them for the rest of the fic anymore. Thinking of him learning those skills as…an interest, a hobby. Anyway thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, and hopefully, I'll be able to finish the next chapter by the end of this week! Or…next week…or next next week. I'm gonna be really busy these few days. Busy with my PSP. CCC isn't going to clear itself you know!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Swallow Catches the Spider**

Look at me, starting this chapter immediately after finishing off the previous one. I just really need to get the ideas out before they turn to dust and float out of my head through my facial orifices. What did I just say. Whatever, please enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you again at the end!

Disclaimer: KADOKAWAAAAAAAAA

* * *

-Kousuke-

-Day 9, 8th December, Friday, Ryuudouji, Guest house-

Another morning. Caster and I were making breakfast when suddenly, my phone rang.

"Shirou? What is it?"

"I have…something to tell you. Something important."

He sounded strangely serious, so I left the cooking to Caster and went into the living room.

"What happened."

"…Saber is gone."

"…what?"

"Saber…was defeated."

"Shirou…where are you right now."

"On my way to school, why?"

"Will they mind if you're a bit late today?"

"Eh? Why?"

"I want you to come to Ryuudouji now. I want you to tell me everything."

There was a moment of silence on the other side of the phone.

"Alright. I'll be right over."

XXX

-Shirou-

-Ryuudouji-

With heavy footsteps, I climbed up the stairs to Ryuudouji. On my way here, I had a strange feeling, but I think I might have passed through several Bounded Fields. Then, at the base of the temple, it was obvious that there were so many magical protections placed I wondered if even Saber could break through them if she had to.

"…Saber."

No, I cannot let my mind wander. I must honor Saber's death by doing what I can for the rest of the war!

'There you are, Shirou."

At the top of the stairs, I saw Kousuke waiting for me with an extremely expressionless face. Without saying anything, he turned around and started walking.

"Follow me. We can talk inside."

-Guest house-

Once seated, I told Kousuke about every single event that occurred last night. From meeting Assassin in the shrine to Rider saving me from Assassin and Zouken. At the end of it, Kousuke had an extremely troubled expression on his face.

"Could it be…it was the work of…the shadow?"

"Most probably. Saber was gone without a trace, and all that was left was a small bloodstain."

"A small bloodstain? Assuming that the shadow is able to completely consume Servants, why would there be a bloodstain? An injury from Assassin?"

He continued pondering. Suddenly, I remembered about what Kotomine told me about Lancer fighting Assassin in the temple and told him about it.

"Lancer fought Assassin and went missing here? I was right after all."

"About what?"

"A few days ago, before Kojirou was killed he engaged in a brief skirmish with Lancer. Caster was able to analyze Lancer's prana in that fight. Two days ago, we found traces of Lancer's prana around and in the lake behind the temple. However…there were also large traces of prana which had the same feeling as two things."

"Two things?"

"Yes. The shadow…and the site of the Fuyuki fire."

"The park?!"

"Yes. Shirou, was that park in any way involved in the previous Holy Grail War?"

"I don't know…but Tohsaka might."

"Her again. Well that makes sense…dammit!"

Suddenly, he slammed his fist in into the table, and I thought I heard it crack.

"Whoa, Kousuke!"

"There are too many variables…too many unknowns…and not enough information…if only I had more access…Shirou."

"Yes?"

"When is the earliest date you can arrange a meeting with myself and Tohsaka?"

"Eh? Why me?"

"Because you're the only one who knows both of us, and both of us trust you, but we might not trust each other."

I sighed.

"I see. I'm going to meet with her at lunch today, so I'll ask her then."

After that, we were silent for a while.

"Hey…you look really angry, are you alright?"

He really did look quite mad. You couldn't tell from his face, but the way he was clenching his fist, if he was holding the table with that hand he would have probably broke it. After a while, he calmed down and sighed.

"Sorry about that. It's just…ever since I got here…things have been quite hectic…and I never actually fought this much before, and so seriously so…well you get it."

Turning to me, he said-

"Well, thanks for your time, Shirou. Sorry for keeping you. Tell me once you've told Tohsaka about me, ok?"

"Sure. Bye, Kousuke."

XXX

-Lunchtime, Homurahara Gakuen, Rooftop-

It's lunchtime. In accordance with our agreement, I met up with Tohsaka on the rooftop and told her about what happened last night. And the result was-

"Then what?! Matou Zouken is Assassin's Master, and he tried to kill you instead of Saber?!"

-Tohsaka getting really angry.

"That's right. What's with you all of a sudden?!"

"It's not sudden! From what you just told me, Zouken tried to kill you after Saber was defeated. That's strange. The process is wrong no matter how you look at it."

And so, Tohsaka got right in my face and started giving me a lecture. After a long and complicated talk, she sighed and started pondering. I did too.

"…"

I chose to keep fighting. Zouken, Assassin, the black shadow and the battle between Masters over the Holy Grail. I chose to stop them even without Saber. Then it shouldn't matter how I do it. I would need Tohsaka's help as well if I don't want there to be any more victims.

"Tohsaka. I lost Saber and my Command Spells. So I'm not a Master anymore, right?"

"Right. I forgot about that. You have no reason to be involved in the Holy Grail War, and you're less likely to be attacked by other Masters."

"Yeah. I only wanted the Holy Grail because Saber wanted it. I have no interest in it now that Saber is gone."

"I see. Then you're not going to be fighting anymore?"

There was no emotion in Tohsaka's eyes. Her words were merely something she must ask as a Master, devoid of personal interest. This was not a question, but a warning. This was my last chance. She's providing me with a chance to back out, telling me that I'll still make it if I withdraw.

"—I will fight."

And from there, we spiraled into a talk about our truce, us being enemies, and the Holy Grail. Finally, Tohsaka agreed to be my ally. Or rather, I would be Tohsaka's ally, much like a Servant with a contract. She gave me three terms to work with.

One: Will I obey her, no matter what she tells me to do during a battle?

Two: Can I trust her like she'll be trusting me? Will I stay by her side, no matter how ugly things got?

And…

Three: Will I give her my absolute obedience?

I can agree on the first and second, but no way on the third!

"No way! I'll admit that your instructions are better as a magus. But I'm sure you make mistakes once in a while. If you say something ridiculous, I can't just obey you. I'll protest if I think you're wrong. That's what it means to cooperate, right?"

"Of course. I can't cooperate with you unless that's the case. I tend to do things my own way, so I need someone to act as my brakes. It'll be helpful if you can take that role."

That would have been the end of it, but…

"Geez…! I'm asking you if you will let me win or not!"

She said with her cheeks blushing, as if she's sulking. It looked childish, completely unlike Tohsaka.

"Yeah, I'll let you win, since I'm cooperating with you, I promise."

It was actually really cute. However, I just suddenly remembered.

"That's right!"

"Hmm? What is it, Emiya-kun."

"Alright. Listen carefully Tohsaka. I have something important to tell you."

"…what is it."

Putting on my most serious face possible, I told her.

"I have a truce between the Master of Caster and myself."

At first, Tohsaka just showed mild surprise, then her face went blank for a while. Then suddenly, she started smiling. Which was terrifying.

"Emiya-kun. Could you please come a bit closer for a while."

Not daring to defy her, I went a bit closer. And then-

"YOU IDIOOOOOT!"

"AAAAHHHH!"

She slapped me full force, sending me reeling backwards.

"That hurt, Tohsaka!"

"What do you think you're doing! You idiot! How could you ask for a truce from someone else without my permission!"

"Why do I need your permission! And besides, they offered it long before I made a truce with you!"

"Oh? When did you make that truce, exactly?"

"About 5 days ago."

"That's not very long time ago! Idiot!"

"At least hear me out, Tohsaka!"

Despite the fact she was still fuming, she backed away and sat down again.

"Emiya-kun. You have exactly 60 seconds to tell me who they are, how you met them, why they offered you the truce and how much do they know."

And so, I told her about Kousuke and Caster. When I reached the part about Kousuke and Saber's duel…

"Wait. Are you telling me, this Kousuke person, had a duel with Saber, the Servant of the Sword, and it ENDED IN A DRAW?!"

"Well, Saber was still weak from fighting Lancer and Berserker the day before, and although she said she would fight with her full strength, I think she definitely was holding back. But she might have gotten a little serious at the end though."

Right now, Tohsaka was just ignoring me and murmuring to herself.

"And they're at Ryuudouji?! That is literally the Number 1 most suspicious place in Fuyuki right now!"

"Tohsaka, they know that! That's why they've been trying figure out what was wrong with the place! Listen to me!"

So, I continued telling Tohsaka about the events that I knew of which involved them, all the way up to this morning.

"-and so, they want to meet with you to share information and figure out what the shadow really is and what's wrong with the war."

Once again, Tohsaka seemed to have stopped listening and was mumbling to herself again.

"The park…but why…hang on, the Fourth War…that would make sense…but there isn't enough evidence…"

"Um…Tohsaka?"

"Huh? What?!"

"So, they want to meet you."

"I refuse for now. I don't trust them."

"Tohsaka! At least…I know!"

I rummaged in my pocket for my cellphone and dialed Kousuke's number. When it picked up, I heard his now familiar voice.

"Shirou? Shouldn't you be in school now?"

"It's lunchtime. Tohsaka is here."

"…Put her on. Or better yet, set the phone to loudspeaker mode."

Pushing a button, I handed the phone to Tohsaka, who seemed slightly baffled.

"…You don't have to hold it to your ear. Just talk to it," I told her.

"…Hello?"

"Yes, is this Tohsaka, Second Owner of Fuyuki City?"

"Yes. Are you the Master of Servant Caster, currently residing at Ryuudouji?"

"Yes. I am Yagami Kousuke, Master of Servant Caster. It is a pleasure to be finally able to talk to you, Tohsaka."

"What do you want, Yagami-san."

"Hasn't Shirou told you yet? Very well. In short, both Caster and I suspect that there is something wrong with this war and with that incredibly dangerous shadow creature prowling about, I suggest collaboration between us."

"Of what kind?"

"We will share any useful information we have about this Grail War excluding our own Servants, information on the previous Grail Wars as well as any information we have about other Servants and the shadow. Of course, this includes Shirou as well, if he wants to."

"I do," I answered.

"Of course, there will be a ceasefire between us as long as the shadow remains alive. If the shadow is ever defeated, we shall resume the Grail War as normal. However, if only both our Servants survive, then I shall challenge you to a Servant duel, where only our Servants are allowed to fight on neutral ground to determine a winner. Do you accept, Tohsaka?"

"You really thought this through, didn't you, Yagami-san."

"Of course. I have no intention of taking human lives. Like Shirou, I will not attack enemy Masters unless they have proven themselves to be evil, like that Matou Zouken."

"I see…very well. But before this, I suggest that we meet in person first, on neutral ground, so that I can at least lay my eyes on you before we begin cooperating."

"Very well. May I suggest the café, Ahnenerbe, somewhere near the bridge?"

"Alright then. We will be there after school ends."

"Good. I will be waiting with my Servant. Goodbye Shirou, Tohsaka. I will see you soon."

And he hung up. There was a moment's silence, before Tohsaka thrust the phone back at me.

"I still don't trust him."

"Tohsaka…"

"What?"

Unable to find any words to say, I just shook my head. After that, Tohsaka told me that from now on, I would attend 'club activities' at Tohsaka's place to further my Magecraft before abruptly saying goodbye and running off.

"…I'll never be able to truly understand her."

XXX

-Rin-

-After school, Ahnenerbe-

Warily, with Shirou beside me and Archer in spirit form behind me, I walked into the café.

"There they are."

I followed Shirou's gaze to see a young man and woman sitting at a booth at the back of the café.

"…Archer."

"Right."

With Archer materialized, I walked towards the table. As I approached, they looked up and who I assumed to be Yagami stood up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tohsaka."

"Save the pleasantries. What do you want from me."

He sighed and sat back down.

"There's no need for hostilities. Please take a seat. I'm sure you'll find what we have very interesting."

Sitting down with Archer beside me, Shirou pulled up a chair and sat at the outer side of the table. After a quick look around, Kousuke moved his cup away, and started bringing out papers from a briefcase. As I read through them, I grew more and more interested.

"Are these all-"

"Yes. Despite not being part of any of the past wars, my family took interest and kept some records of all four past wars. This was what I printed out and brought with me."

As I read through the papers, he pulled out another sheaf of them.

"These are my investigation results of the city ever since I got here, especially that of Ryuudouji."

I put away the previous war papers to read the more important stuff. Putting on my glasses, I looked at the writings and graphs he was pointing out.

"When we first arrived, ambient mana levels were about medium, and its quality was high. Following that, there was a large spike when I summoned Assassin."

"Wait, hold up, you summoned Assassin?!"

"It's a long story."

And he told me about how he had Caster summon a Servant so that he possessed two, but ultimately his Fake Assassin was somehow used as a catalyst for the summoning of True Assassin.

"I see. Back to the mana levels?"

"On the third night there was a slight increase in ambient mana, but nothing special. The next day it went back to normal, but at night it rose again."

"Yes, I see the pattern."

"On the fifth night, the night my Assassin died, it rose once more, but much more than the previous nights. Then on the sixth night, there was a massive, enormous spike in mana levels, and its source is-"

"The lake?"

"Yes. It was also where Assassin fought and defeated Lancer. But, although the mana was enormous, it had a terrible quality."

"Define 'quality'."

"My current definition of 'mana quality' is how beneficial or detrimental the mana is to both humans and Servants. At this negative level, any human or Servant who goes near it would be consumed immediately, if not gradually."

"Pkmf-"

At that moment, we both looked at Shirou, who seemed to have just stifled a laugh.

"Is something funny, Emiya-kun?"

"N-No! It's just that, seeing you two poring over the research material so intently, and your glasses…it just looks like a pair of the school's smartest students preparing themselves for an exam."

Yagami smiled slightly.

"Group study, huh? I have to admit, it does feel like one. I never had many friends, so I barely participated in them."

"I usually study alone as well," I replied "Wait, are you still a student?"

"12th Grade. I'm graduating next year."

"I see. Wait, this isn't the time to be talking about this!"

"I guess you're right."

We went back to the papers.

"As you can see, since that night, mana levels have been regularly high, while quality has been regularly low, with ambient mana levels still falling in the day and rising in the night. In fact, Caster has installed multiple Bounded Fields, seals and barriers to keep the pollution away from us and the rest of Fuyuki, as well as filter and clean the mana as much as possible."

"Why are you still there then? Because of your Temple?"

"My Temple is one thing," answered Caster "But I'm still drawing mana from the underground leyline, which is still pure. Also, I have to keep the evil mana from potentially spreading to the surrounding area, which would be really bad if it kept up."

I sat back and sighed.

"What is going on?!"

"If I may," started Yagami "I believe that the 'something' living under Ryuudouji or in the lake is connected to the shadow somehow. I have nothing to back that claim but, on to the final thing."

We watched as Caster brought out a pair of mirrors from a bag.

"Please watch this."

We watched as on the first mirror, an image suddenly appeared.

"That's the shrine from yesterday!" exclaimed Shirou.

"After carefully watching the footage from last night's surveillance records, this was what we found."

As we watched, suddenly we saw a massive burst of wind explode out from the side of the shrine.

"That's definitely Saber's Invisible Air. Like I thought, she really was holding back in our duel. Now, watch carefully."

As we kept watching, suddenly, we saw it.

"That's the shadow! But it's on the ground," said Shirou.

"It looks like mud," I said.

"Now, look carefully at that," said Yagami as he pointed to a specific area.

Looking intently, Shirou was the one who saw it first.

"That's Saber's foot!"

He was right. I could just see the bottom of an armored foot from behind the wall. And slowly, we watched as the foot sank into the mud until it was out if sight.

"So that's what happened to Saber…" muttered Shirou as he slumped into his chair.

"We can thusly determine that whatever that shadow is, it devours Servants without leaving a trace. It is unknown what happens to them after and you cannot escape once you are caught in it."

I looked at Archer, and he looked…totally calm. But I could see a tinge of worry in his eyes. Since he was the only one who seemed to know what that shadow was, he was our best hope.

"And now, the next footage. It's much shorter, and much more obvious what happened."

This time, we were looking at the side wall of the shrine. And all of a sudden, Assassin was thrown through the wall and sent flying, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

"Wow, who did that?!"

"After careful inspection, we saw the chain detaching itself from Assassin before he was sent flying, so it most probably was-"

"Rider," finished Shirou.

We all looked at him as he spoke.

"Assassin was about to kill me…but she suddenly appeared and saved me. When I asked her what was going on, she said she had received orders to keep me alive. What is Shinji playing at…"

Yagami sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"Well, that concludes all the info I have. Do you trust me now, Tohsaka?"

I sighed as I put away my glasses.

"Well, it looks like I have no choice. I'll be looking forward to solving this problem with you, Yagami-kun."

"Kousuke is fine. By the way, I don't think I ever caught your name?"

"Rin. Tohsaka Rin."

"Alright. I'm looking forward to working with you as well, Rin."

XXX

-Night, Shrine-

Kousuke and Caster walked carefully into the shrine. It was a different one from the one where Saber fought Assassin, and much smaller.

"Caster, is he here?"

"Yes, definitely."

"Alright then, just according to plan."

Caster and her Master split up, with Kousuke entering the building and Caster circling around. Unseen by the both of them, the black shadow seemed to hesitate a little before entering the building.

-Inside-

Inside the building was just a small room, about the size of a living room. As the door swung shut behind Kousuke, the room was considerably plunged into darkness.

"…Kyoka no Magan."

And as he activated his Mystic Eyes, he swung Monohoshizao around to deflect a pair of Darks aimed for his head.

"I knew you would follow me for sure, Assassin."

"Kekekekeke…was this part of your plan?" snickered Assassin as his white mask appeared before Kousuke who just smiled.

"Definitely. After all, no one is able to get in or get out. It's just you and me in this room Assassin. This is the perks of having Caster as a Servant."

"Foolish Master, you can't possibly- _What?! How is this possible! I can't contact Zouken! In fact, I can't sense anything else at all outside of this room!_"

In a livid voice, Assassin spat at Kousuke.

"What did you do?!"

-Outside-

Caster stood just outside the building. To anyone else, they would see nothing but to her eyes, an octagonal, orange-hued barrier surrounded the building.

"_Hachigyō Sōgai…a double dislocation barrier which erases whatever is within it from existence and removes the space it takes up from an outsider's inner consciousness, making it so one cannot even perceive its presence. The very thought of getting close to it does not even occur to those outside it. Normally this spell is a permanent Bounded Field and needs an hour of preparation, but to cast it without preparations is possible. However, it won't last long. Only half an hour._"

Caster bit her lip.

"_But that doesn't keep Assassin from leaving, so I had to use Hachigyō Sōgai: __Happō Fūin. What it does is physically seal any object within the barrier and prevents them from leaving as well as cuts of their communication from the outside. However, I can only keep up this version for 15 minutes tops, so Kousuke…you have to finish Assassin in that timeframe!_"

-Inside-

Kousuke smirked and pointed Fake Assassin's nodachi at Assassin.

"Does it matter what I did? All that matters now is that you will die here, Assassin."

"Kukukuku…I'd like to see you try…"

And once more, Assassin melted into the darkness. The decisive battle was about to begin.

XXX

*CHINK* *KLINK* *KLANG*

Using all his skill, Kousuke deflected every single Dark thrown at him over the past five minutes without even moving from the middle of the room. Suffice to say, Assassin grew maddingly frustrated.

"You insolent- Just drop dead!"

"It's useless Assassin. These eyes of mine are able to pierce through your darkness. You can never escape from me within this room. Now, fight me like a proper Servant!"

His answer was more Darks from in front, which were easily dodged and deflected by Kousuke.

"_Curses! Even if he is able to see my Darks, he shouldn't be fast enough to dodge and deflect them! What is he?! It doesn't matter, with my Zabaniya, I will- Ha?"_

Just as Assassin was about to unwrap his cursed right arm, he chanced a look upwards to see Kousuke right in front of him.

"!"

"Nagaredzuki."

With a slash like a flowing moon, Kousuke struck. But due to sheer luck, Assassin jumped at the last moment and all he got was a shallow cut on his right shoulder.

"_Shit, how did he-!"_

"I will not allow you to use that cursed arm of yours. If I see you make the slightest motion of unwrapping it, the next thing you'll see is that arm rolling on the floor."

"!**اللعنة"**

XXX

-Kousuke-

It had been 10 minutes since we began. Darks were lodged everywhere in the ground. Finally the sound of Darks hitting Monohoshizao stopped and once more, Assassin's white mask appeared before me.

"You are-"

"Bakudō: Sajō Sabaku!"

"Wha-!"

With an incredibly fast flick of my left hand, an incredibly thick rope of bright yellow prana immediately wrapped itself around Assassin without giving him time to react, binding him.

"How di-"

"Bakudō: Hyapporankan!"

Generating a bluish white rod of energy in my left hand, I threw it at Assassin, where it split into a hundred more rods, pinning Assassin to the wall.

"You-!"

"raimei no basha, itoguruma no kangeki, hikari mote kore o mutsu ni wakatsu! Bakudō: Rikujōkōrō!"

Lastly, six thin, wide beams of light slammed into Assassin's midsection, effectively immobilizing him completely.

"All this time I was fighting you…I was concentrating the prana with my left hand…materializing the concept of the spell...so that I could instantly activate my Bakudō in the split second you stopped moving…kuh-"

I stopped mid-sentence with a cough. Casting three medium-high level Bakudō one after another without stopping was quite a feat, and it did quite a number on me, but I got up, and faced Assassin.

"It's no use…you won't be able to free yourself, and your Master will never hear you. Not now, and never again."

"Zouken! What are you doing!"

Taking a calm breath, I stood myself into the same stance Kojirou-sama used to prepare his ultimate move.

"…"

As I have already stated, my version of Tsubame Gaeshi is incomplete, with two illusionary slashes and one true slash. But this time, things were different. I could feel his spirit through this sword…it was like as though he was right next to me. That's right…I had to read into the history of Monohoshizao…duplicate the years of training done by Kojirou…learn the names of all those felled by this sword.

But that would not be enough. I had to use one more trick, my hidden ace…

My origin.

"…Kanpeki Jikkō."

As I called out the name of the spell needed to activate my Origin, I felt all the available mana in my body rush inwards to bring out the full potential of my Origin. That's right. That was my Origin. Perfection. And the name of the spell needed to fully activate its power?

'Perfect Execution'

"Hiken: Tsubame Gaeshi!"

"GRAAAAAAAH!"

With an ear-rending scream, Assassin felt the pain of death as the laws of physics were broken through sheer will alone as three simultaneous sword slashes from Monohoshizao sliced cleanly through his body.

"This…can't…be…"

Finally, Assassin fell silent. His dead body fell to the floor of a shrine with a lifeless thump as the Bakudō faded.

"Haah…haah…"

Dropping Monohoshizao, I too slumped to the ground. My Origin…Perfection was a strange one. Naturally, it manifested in myself as slight OCD. I had to arrange all my stuff perfectly but it need not necessarily be neat. As long as everything was in what I thought was in its proper place I would be satisfied. Whenever I wrote anything as long as I felt there was a single word shaped differently than the rest I would liberally white it out and rewrite that one word until I was happy with it.

But that was just in everyday life. My Origin works in two ways. Passive and active. Passively, what it does is 'allows me to learn things much faster than other people'. But, there are conditions. If compared to a normal person, learning the same thing using the same techniques takes me a shorter time than them. For example, if it takes them two weeks to completely study and understand a certain part of a textbook it only takes me a few days, but the amount of work put into it by myself must be the same as the other individual. When it comes to something like sword skills or Thaumaturgy, something that would need a year of practice would only take me a month, but I MUST put in the same amount of effort or MORE than the other individual.

HOWEVER, the definition of 'perfection' must also be considered. In the case of my Origin, the definition of 'perfection' is 'when something is done to its utmost best within the limits of the individual'. Basically, when I have learnt something to 'perfection', someone else who is better than me at that certain something is still able to best me, but they too must be doing it at their utmost best.

However, to use it actively, it takes me a huge amount of prana as well as the command 'Kanpeki Jikkō' or 'Perfect Execution'. A simple explanation is that activating my Origin lets me bypass the time spent and experience needed to do a certain something and pushes it to its most perfect state. For example, when I summoned Caster, I did use my Origin and thus when I summoned her it was akin to if I had summoned her with an extra 50 years of training as a magus.

"Hah…kuh…"

However, it does take a substantial toll on my body. Especially after fighting a Servant for 10 minutes and three medium-high level Bakudō, I was pretty much coughing up blood. To the side, I saw Monohoshizao fade away into motes of light. It had served its purpose, and had returned to its master.

"Master?! Are you alright!?"

Right on cue, Caster appeared before me and wiped the blood off my mouth.

"You aren't hurt, are you?!"

"No, no, just overexerted myself."

"Mou, you really should have let me help you."

"No…this was something I had to do myself…I have finally…gotten my revenge…"

Caster looked over at Assassin's corpse, then back at me.

"We have to hurry though. It's coming. The shadow."

A chill ran up my spine as she said that. I got up immediately.

"That's right. Quick, we must hurry."

"Right!"

XXX

It was almost silent in the shrine. Deathly silent. But, the silence was broken by only one thing.

The sound of ragged, laborious breathing.

"HAAaAAaaaaAH…DaMN tHem! I…HeeeeEEEeEEh…will KiLl yoU…MAstEr of…hYeeeeEeeH…caaaaaaaaASTeR!"

Assassin, barely alive and almost in pieces, fought for survival on the floor of the shrine. For him in his current state, every breath was a battle.

"…"

Suddenly, he felt it. It had arrived.

"NooOOOoO!"

Waving its black and red tentacles around, the shadow began its feast.

"ZZZzoooOOOuuUUKkKkkEEENnNN!"

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Midnight, Streets-

"Caster, I can walk on my own you know."

"No! Let me help you! You're my future husband after all!"

I was definitely capable of walking on my own, but still, I definitely didn't mind Tamamo helping me along. The knowledge that we had finally gained a small victory was great.

Of course, even that small shred of hope was crushed by fate.

"Good evening, Servant Caster and Master of Caster."

And right in front of us, down the street stood the personification of our despair-

In the form of a bronze giant and his albino Master.

*SHAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

Ah…even the sky is crying...on this night of fate…

* * *

Well they seem like they fucked up but who knows? Caster is still has a lot of juice left in her though! And I can't believe I wrote half of this months ago and only finished the rest of it today! Well anyway, thanks for reading, favoriting &amp; reviewing and I HOPE I'll be able to write the next chapter soon! Capitalism ho! (Yes I went back to using that because I have no better way of ending this part)


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Burning Scarlet**

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own TYPE-MOON

* * *

-Kousuke-

-Midnight, Streets-

The rain just wouldn't stop pouring.

"▅▅▅██▃▃▄█!"

The street in front of us was being obliterated just from Berserker swinging his sword-axe at thin air.

"Reikōgyoku!"

In retaliation, Caster fired off a large orb of glowing mana at Berserker, who simply shrugged it off.

"Heracles and God Hand…that's just too OP isn't it?"

Earlier I had already tried hitting him with my katana. It was a miracle that it didn't break. That skin was practically as hard as steel! And his Agility was ridiculous! I only managed to get a hit in because Caster distracted him sufficiently with her Narumikazuchi.

"Master, watch out!"

"I know!"

All we could do now was keep retreating as the mad warrior came charging at us over and over.

"Master, it looks like I have to start bringing out the strongest spells I have. Are you ready?"

"Of course."

At my word, Caster thrust her arms before her and her whole body started radiating energy that even Berserker seemed wary. Having completed her incantation within seconds, she cried-

"Yuumi Kachō!"

And just like that, hundreds of petals and butterflies of pure prana appeared out of nowhere around us, and if it weren't for the condition we were in, it would have to say it was stunningly beautiful.

"Berserker, be careful!"

As the magic bullets started raining upon Berserker, he simply roared and swung his sword around, smashing the bullets aside. But it seemed like an unneeded action, for the bullets weren't even reaching him.

"Caster!"

"Just a distraction. Now."

And raising her hands, they began glowing with a green light.

"Gōma Tetsujinken!"

And just as before, out of thin air appeared a ridiculous massive iron sword that towered over us which left even Berserker's Master and myself gaping.

"Berserker!"

Berserker looked up just in time to see the giant sword carve its way towards him.

"█▄▄▅█▅▅▅▂▂▄▄▄▄!"

There was a massive crash, and all we could see was a giant cloud of dust. As it subsided, both Caster and I were shocked. Despite the fact that Berserker had been pushed back along the whole length of the street, he was barely injured, and he was holding his sword with one hand and supporting it with the other.

"Berserker…used both hands?" stuttered Ilya.

With another roar, Berserker prepared for another charge.

"Heh…heheh…"

"Cas…ter?"

That was the first time I had ever heard her laugh like that. And it was absolutely terrifying.

"Impressive! You truly are a Berserker! Very well, I will fight you with as much power as I can muster!"

And all of a sudden, Caster's body began giving off a bright gold aura as I felt her mana spike to incredible levels. As I kept watching…I realized…she was growing more tails!

"Come, Heracles! I, Tamamo-no-Mae will be your opponent!"

"Reikō Kyōhan Shō!"

"!"

It had only been a few minutes since Caster grew her second tail and she was already on the verge of growing another one. Berserker's sword smashed full force into the barrier of mana just created by Caster, and despite shattering with that single hit, all of Berserker's force that went into that strike was reflected back on him and made him stagger.

"Sōka Sōran!"

Twin horizontal cyclones of wind and petals emerged and rushed at Berserker, who just begin thrashing away at the storm that assailed him.

"You should look up too! Benihiko!"

With her other hand, she made a circle motion with her finger and above Berserker, a ring of a hundred swords materialized, which subsequently rained down on Berserker.

"█▄!"

But yet with another roar, he simply kept trashing until everything was gone. Even the blades that touched him barely left any scratches.

"Caster…don't use anything that will destroy the surrounding area."

"That just makes it harder to kill him!" she replied in irritated voice as she cast yet another spell.

"Berserker! Stop wasting time!"

"Uzuyami!"

This time, multiple tornadoes of darkness whirled into existence and hurtled along the street but Berserker just kept coming. However, he definitely either smashed or avoided every tornado.

"He knows that they're deadly. I should step up my game a little more!"

As Caster's third tail fully appeared, I remembered something I had with me and rummaged in my pockets for it.

"Suiten Sakamake!"

This time, a raging torrent of water, as if it had been spilled straight from the ocean, rushed directly at Berserker. He was being forcefully pushed back, yet he still surged on.

"Unsan Mushō!"

As numerous beams of light began converging on where Berserker stood, suddenly he jumped straight into the air!

"Caster look out!"

I made a mad dash and grabbed Caster, pulling her out of the way as Berserker came crashing down on where we stood previously, leaving a huge crater. Behind him, there was a huge explosion of prana as the spell hit.

"Thanks Master! Now, Guren Bakuenjin!"

Like a crimson lotus, flames spewed from Caster's hands as she repeatedly pummeled Berserker with spiraling swords of flame.

"█▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂█▄███▄!"

Slashing away at the flames, we could see that Berserker was definitely injured, but his powers were slowly but surely healing him. Also, I had found what I was searching for.

"Fujin Kamaitachi!"

As Berserker was buffeted by razor-sharp gales of slicing wind, I held up the small bottle in my hand.

"Berserker!"

Ether Pills. Despite only containing a small amount, almost 0.1% ether, that was what they were called. Mixed with other ingredients, they were basically what you could call a prana booster, immediately replenishing a certain amount of prana when consumed. However, overdose and prolonged usage would cause major bodily harm, and even a single pill can slightly (but only temporarily) harm a person's body.

"Kagon Retsuzanshi!"

This time I looked up to see numerous long, thin, curved blades of prana spiral around Berserker, continuously slicing shallow wounds into his body, which in my opinion was a feat in itself, considering how hard his skin was.

"▄▄██▃▃▃▄▅▅█!"

But eventually, like all the others, the spell faded and Berserker came charging once more.

"Fuh."

With a huff, Caster sprouted yet another tail, making it her fourth one and called out the name of another spell.

"Onko Shōbaku Heki!"

This time, a tall, rectangular barrier of what seemed to be pale green water enclosed Berserker and Caster, the latter having effortlessly hopped through to stand in front of me. Despite the fact that Caster had escaped from his range, Berserker made no move to follow her, and in fact he seemed to be avoiding the barrier walls altogether.

"Berserker! What on earth are you doing! Go after them!"

"Miss Einzbern, I am sure that your Servant knows perfectly what he is doing. I wouldn't touch the barrier as well, if I were you. But it won't last long, so-"

All of a sudden, Caster tore off her right kimono sleeve, leaving her pale arm bare.

"Master, please step back. I really, really don't want to hit you with this."

Sensing the danger of the spell, even I backed away to a safe distance, while Berserker just looked straight at Caster, ready to charge once the barrier was down. After a full 10 seconds of chanting, Caster said the name of her spell.

"Jaō-"

With the first word, the night air instantly got hotter and the rain started turning to steam where Caster stood.

"Wha-What are you doing!"

"-Ensatsu-"

At the second word, a blazing, blackish-orange flame shrouded Caster's right arm and all of us could feel the heat and chaos radiating from it. Even the rain had lessened somewhat.

"BERSERKER!"

"-Rengoku Shō!"

Thrusting her right arm forwards, she let loose a massive wave of pure, destructive fire right at Berserker, who attempted to block it with his sword.

It didn't work.

Berserker and everything behind him erupted in a massive burst of flame, the fire completely scorching everything in its path.

"BERSERKER!?"

XXX

-Caster-

Finally the flames died down, and my right arm was left slightly charred and smoking. This was just the weaker version of one of my strongest spells I can use, and it still did quite some damage. Everything in front of me was blackened and charred…

Including the lead giant that stood in front of us.

"Caster!"

I turned to see Kousuke running towards me.

"That was…amazing!"

"Yes…but it's not over yet, Master."

We both turned to look, and slowly but surely, Berserker slowly started moving again.

"11 lives left…this is ridiculous."

Even with that spell and four tails, it only took away one life. If I used the original spell AND all my nine tails, there probably wouldn't even be a neighbourhood left to fight in.

"Two…you took away TWO LIVES in one hit?!" exclaimed the Einzbern Master.

Whoops. Looks I it did what I thought it would after all~

"Berserker. I don't care what happens. Kill. Them. Now."

"██▄▅▅█████▄▅▅█▄▅▅█▄▅█!"

Ah, crap.

"██!"

Just as I began preparing a barrier spell, I suddenly heard my Master chanting.

"tessu no kabe, sōgyō no tō, shakutetsu keikei, tanzen toshite tsuini oto nashi!"

"Master?!"

"Bakudō: Gochūtekkan!"

All of a sudden, five massive pillars of steel which were chained together descended from the sky, crashing down on Berserker, stopping him in his tracks.

"Kousuke!"

"I'm fine…I just took a few Ether Pills…I still have enough prana to hit him with one good blast!"

Ether Pills? What are those!? But more importantly, that was an amazing spell (for a human)!

"Hurry Caster, it won't hold him for long!"

I nodded and began preparing another spell equally as strong, if not stronger that the previous one. Beside me, I heard Kousuke chanting.

"sanzai suru, kemono no hone! sentō, kōshō, kōtetsu no sharin. ugokeba kaze, tomareba sora. yariutsu neiro ga kōjō ni michiru!"

Finally, Berserker got up with a roar. But as he did, five of my magic circles surrounded him from four sides and above him. With a smile, I called out the name of the spell, as did my Master with his.

'Kami no Engei: Mikagura!"

"Hadō: Raikōhō!"

As my Master shot off a massive yellow beam of electrified prana at Berserker, all five of my magic circles fired off giant, different coloured beams of sheer prana at Berserker. The resulting explosion was so loud, it was a good thing I soundproofed the whole fight to the rest of the neighbourhood.

"█▄▅▅█▃▄██!"

"BERSERKER?!"

Dust hung in the air for a long time. We had pretty much obliterated the whole street and intersection with our spells. Suddenly, Kousuke staggered and fell to his knees.

"Goshuujin-sama?!"

"It's-ahck-alright…I'm just-haah-overexerted…urg!"

I was worried sick for my Master had just coughed up a mouthful a blood…but that was the least of my problems.

"█████████████!"

Acting on pure instinct, I grabbed my Master and jumped a few metres backward, and just in time too. A regenerating Berserker just barreled out of the dust cloud and smashed his sword into the ground where we were a second ago.

"Two and a half," we heard the Einzbern Master say. "Two and a half…that's almost three! Four lives in total. Berserker lost FOUR LIVES IN TOTAL! Who are you people?!"

But, seeing the state we were in, she smiled.

"But…it looks like that's your limit…especially your Master's. Well, it was definitely a well fought battle. Servant Caster and Caster's Master, you have earned my respect. Now, Berserker. Finish them."

With another massive roar, Berserker charged wildly at us. This time, I jumped backwards even further and set my Master down.

"Caster, what are you going to do?"

"We can't let him run rampant like this. None of my long-lasting barriers are strong enough to stop him, while none of my barriers strong enough to contain him last long enough for us to escape. I have to stop him in his tracks completely, or at least slow him down by a large margin."

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and began concentrating. Removing everything else from my mind…I recalled the memory of that fateful day.

Yes…on that day…where I was defeated…and turned into a stone.

But not just any old stone.

An artifact so powerful that it would kill anything that touched it.

"Tokoyo Sakisaku Daisakkai…"

Although I couldn't see it, red motes of light began to surround my body as my body began to radiate extremely dangerous prana. I could even feel Berserker stopping in his tracks in the face of the first of my Noble Phantasms.

"Berserker, what is that?! Stay away!"

"Tamamo! Be careful!"

I will, Master. I will.

As I opened my eyes, I saw that the brilliant scarlet stone had materialized in my hands. And then, I was running. Straight towards Berserker.

"TAMAMO!"

Calling upon the strength and speed I had in my past life for a fraction of a second, I reached Berserker it a split second. It was almost too late, for despite having gotten near enough to the giant to be out of range of his sword, his left fist was rapidly incoming.

"Higanbana Sesshōseki!"

Slamming the Sesshōseki into Berserker's midsection, I had the satisfaction of seeing it take effect for a split second before I felt his fist collide with my body.

…

Master…

Please…

Leave me…

And run while you can!

XXX

-Kousuke-

From my position on the road, my eyes widened as I watched Caster get sent flying from Berserker's fist.

"TAMAMO!"

I watched as Caster flew straight into a wall, taking it down with her with a massive crash. Looking back at Berserker, it looked like he was struggling to move. His whole body was surrounded with crackling scarlet prana and he was swinging himself around frantically.

"This is a curse?! No, poison?! Both?!" exclaimed the Einzbern Master.

"It's the Sesshōseki…Caster!"

As I was about to get up and run to her side, I heard a massive roar as well as the presence of its owner.

"Crap!"

In a ditch effort, I Reinforced my arms more and attempted to block it with Yattsugami, but of course it wasn't enough.

"Uggaaaaaaaah!"

My katana was wrenched out of my hands and stuck itself one-thirds of the way into the road while I was sent stumbling backwards. As I got up to my knees, a huge shadow was cast over me.

"He can…still move this fast…even with the curse?"  
"▅█▃▄█!"

"—,—"

And the sword descended.

XXX

-Caster-

Ah…I think he pretty much broke all my ribs and more in that one hit. I couldn't even get up and was lying in the rubble on my front. But when I did look up, I was hit with utmost despair.

"GOSHUJIN-SAMA!"

With a massive swing and crash, Berserker brought his sword right down on my unprepared Master, erupting a huge dust cloud, completely obscuring my view.

"Kousuke…Kousuke…Kousuke!"

I repeatedly called for my beloved Master over and over again, but there was no response. Even within my mind, I couldn't hear him.

"Goshujin-sama…"

I couldn't help it. Tears just started welling up and falling on their own, becoming unrecognizable as they mixed with the rain. My Master which I had sworn to protect…my Master who I promised to live with for the rest of his life…was he really…dead?

"Mas…ter…"

But, as the dust cloud cleared, it was replaced by something else.

"Scarlet…mist?"

Thin wisps of blood-red mist were hovering over the crater where my Master laid. I was still confused when a sudden pain struck me. Not from Berserker, but from within my mind.

No.

It can't be.

I recognized this feeling well enough.

No, not just that.

I used to know someone who had the same feeling, but much, much stronger.

This was the power of…

"…an Oni?"

In the past before and when I lived, Oni were commonplace and could be easily found if you knew where to find them. Sometimes, Oni would kidnap humans after they lost at an Oni's games but other times, humans would willingly seek out oni to crossbreed, so that their offspring would have superior powers. They were known as…

Konketsu.

Or Mixed-Bloods. They weren't rare in my time, but weren't uncommon either. But what was extremely rare, was a human having oni blood so strong, they were known as Kurenai Sekishu.

Crimson Red Vermillion.

And that was the exact same feeling my Master was giving off now.

"_Kousuke, can you hear me, Kousuke?!_"

But my mind was sent reeling from a sharp shock of pain and a splash of red. Master, don't tell me…you're having an Inversion Impulse?! To survive against Berserker…?!

"!"

Impossible…there was a giant wound running right through Kousuke's left shoulder! His whole left side should have been gone! But instead, his wound was smoking. Smoke was literally seeping out of the wound as it closed up. And not just that, the rain was literally turning to steam as they fell around my Master.

"The wound…is cauterizing itself?"

Yes. No doubt about it. Instead of healing, the wound was just burning itself shut.

"▅▅█▃▄█!"

Suddenly, Berserker swung his sword down at Kousuke, but this time, he instantly lifted his arms up and there was a horrible sound of stone grating against iron as the sword sunk halfway into his wrists, while causing my Master to drop to his knees. Just then, I heard his say something.  
"…Release the self-imposed restriction, 50%, Level 2."

And as he said that, more scarlet mist emerged, a reddish-aura could be seen around my Master, and I suddenly felt a small shockwave burst through the area. From behind, I could also see his black hair beginning to turn a slight shade of red. As I watched, Kousuke actually THREW off Berserker's sword-axe and caused him to stagger, which was jaw-dropping (although to be fair, he was already cursed and poisoned by me). And in the next moment, he was in the air at chest-level with Berserker. We watched, astounded as Kousuke landed a punch square in Berserker's chest with a sound like a dump truck hitting a concrete wall and Berserker was pushed back several metres.

"█▄▅!"

With a roar, Berserker began his assault again, albeit slower than before, but still faster than a human should be able to follow. However, my Master was dodging every single thing with an agility a human should not possess. As Berserker made another swing, I just managed to see my Master jumping onto the flat side of the sword, and in another flash, was behind Berserker's head and gave it a massive kick before the mad warrior even realized what happened.

"No…this shouldn't be happening," muttered the white-haired Master as she took a few steps back. "You're just a human, you shouldn't be able to fight Berserker like this!"

To my eyes, it looked more like there were two Berserkers fighting each other instead of one. Kousuke was just using his fists to counter Berserker's sword and he was knocking it away with every hit. As I was following the unbelievable fight, Kousuke suddenly drew back his right arm and his fist began to glow a bright scarlet.

"█▄▅▅█!"

I had no idea what Berserker felt from Kousuke, for he just jumped backwards a few metres. But it all became clear soon. As my Master threw his fist forward, a scarlet beam of energy prana lanced forwards from his fist. Where it hit, it literally disintegrated everything in its path, leaving a round hole wherever the beam connected, including the road.

"What sort of Magecraft…is that…"

No…that wasn't Magecraft…it wasn't prana either, I got it wrong.

It was pure heat.

Theoretically, if you take something and heat it fast enough with enough heat, it should just turn to dust, shouldn't it? But that was literally what my Master was doing. The beam of heat just heated things till they turned to dust. But, what would it do to Berserker?

"██▃▃▃▄▅▅█!"

With more sounds like car accidents, I looked up to see Berserker with his sword at my Master's side while my Master's fist was directly on the left side of Berserker's chest.

Right where his heart should be.

"Berserker watch out!"

It was too late. In an instant, another scarlet beam shot out from Kousuke's fist and went right through Berserker.

"Berserker!"

That was the fifth life he lost that night.

"Berserker, that's enough! We're leaving!"

With that order, despite his still-regenerating heart, Berserker was at his Master's side in an instant, picked up his soaking wet Master and ran off as fast as he could. I half expected my Master to give chase, but he simply stood there while the rain kept falling around us.

"…"

Slowly, he turned around to face me.  
"Goshujin-!"

His eyes. They weren't looking at me like a human. His oni blood had taken over. As he walked towards me, I desperately tried to reach him inside his mind.

"_Goshujin-sama! Please! Snap out of it!_"

"█▃▃▃▄▅▅KILL█▃▄█BLOOD▅█▃▄█RED█▄▅▅█▃▄██DIE█▄▅▅█▄▅▅█▄▅█"

It hurt my mind to enter his, it was just like it was being hammered with nails while being split in half by Berserker, but I had to try! I had to save him no matter what!

"_Master, listen! It's me! It's Caster! Goshujin-sama, it's me, Tamamo!_"

At the mention of my name, he stopped and suddenly grabbed his head in his hands.

"Aaaargh-"

"Kousuke!"

He looked up at me, and his face was contorted in pain. His eyes were practically bleeding as he held back his Inversion Impulse.

"Goshujin-sama!"

"Tama…mo…"

And suddenly, he just crashed to the ground and lay there, unmoving and silent. With the extreme heat emanating from his body gone, the rain continued to soak my Master.

"Kousu-"

And then, it was my turn for the world to go dark. My physical injuries from Berserker and my mental pains from my Master were just too much. And the last thing I set my eyes on before the world went completely black was the prone form of my Master.

"Goshujin…sama…"

* * *

And there we go. A short but completely epic fight between the Servant-Master pair and Berserker. Once again, thanks for all the support, I really liked writing this because like I've said, Tamamo is my absolute favorite Servant. Thanks for reading, favoriting, following, reviewing and I hope the next chapter will come out soon enough.

EXTRA: Tamamo's Super Fluffy Japanese Test!

Hai, this is Tamamo! To be honest, the next chapter might not come out soon, since Author-sama is quite busy nowadays! So to occupy your time, here's a game! I'm giving you the kanji writings for every single spell used by my Master and I these past seven chapters, and you get to match them to the right one! The prize is a fluffy tail from me! So, here we go! Oh, and no points for cheating! On more things than one…

刹月華

摑趾追雀

白雷

紅球波

渦闇

白蓮

六杖光牢

綴雷電

炎陽玉

八爻双崖・八方封印

流れ月

百歩欄干

赤火砲

千年氷牢

鎖条鎖縛

雷吼炮

五柱鉄貫

怨呼障縛壁

紅蓮爆炎刃

鳴御雷

双華咲嵐

霊光鏡反衝

裂破風陣

業魔・鉄神剣

水天逆巻け

霊光玉

紅飛蝗

勇美華蝶

風刃鎌鼬

常世咲き裂く大殺界・彼岸花殺生石

雲散霧消

神の演芸・御神楽

華厳裂斬肢

呪相・密天

邪王炎殺煉獄焦


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Recovery**

First off, sorry for the late chapter. And by late, I mean REALLY late. And wow, my review, favorite and follow count have all seemed to increase! Thank you everyone for doing so. Enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Ataraxia has been translated! /( 0 0)/

* * *

"…"

…

"…"

…

"…!"

Wha-!

"Kousuke!"

XXX

-Kousuke-

I woke up to a completely unfamiliar ceiling and room. Before I even realized what was going on, I was pushed back down onto the futon by my incoherently sobbing Servant.

"Goshujin-sama, goshujin-sama! Ueeeeen!"

"Guh-Tamamo!"

I pushed Caster off me and looked around.

"This is…a Japanese-style house? Caster, where are we?"

"We are in Emiya Shirou's house."

"Shirou? Wait, what happened?! What day is it?! And what happened to-"

Berserker. The memory of our fight with the mad Servant hit me like a lightning bolt. All I remembered was Tamamo using her Sesshōseki against him, then her soaring through the sky after she was punched, and then…

Berserker's axe-sword being brought down on me.

"Tamamo…did Shirou save us?"

She shook her head.

"No…you did…it was your oni blood."

I flinched for a moment, then relaxed.

"I see…my Inversion Impulse…I guess I owe you an explanation, Caster."

At first we were just a family of normal human mages with a bit of divine blood in our system, but during and after the time of the third head, everything changed.

The third head married an oni.

Everyone was shocked, even more shocked than when the second head brought home Kaede. No one had any idea how they had met, and they wouldn't tell anyone either. Her real name was never recorded either, so by the time of the seventh head, he was the last member of the family who knew her real name, and he never told us either. Also, after the third head passed away, the oni disappeared as well, and was never seen again.

But one thing that definitely remained was her blood in our bodies. At first it was extremely concentrated in the children of the third head, so much so that they were practically hanyō (half-yōkai) instead of human. But as time passed, the oni blood in us grew thinner and spread to more family members in the next generations. Now, not all family members have oni blood (like my youngest sister) but the family head always has it in varying thickness.

For example, I was confirmed to having a thickest oni blood running in my veins ever since the fifth head, and even he was not a Crimson Red Vermillion. In the latest generations, the oni blood has already become easily controllable due to its thinning and Inversion Impulses rarely happen. But some with thicker blood (like me) have to drink blood (medical blood works fine) to control it.

"I understand, Kousuke. From the moment I met you, I already had a faint feeling of it."

"You did?!"

"Yes, but I wasn't certain. And also, I have smelt the blood you drank when you were in Ryuudouji's guest house."

I sighed.

"And I was trying so hard to hide it from you."

"It doesn't matter, goshujin-sama! I will still love you no matter what are you are! Even if you were to become a full oni or a yōkai!"

"But still…I remember…I tried…I tried to hurt you! I tried to, didn't I!"

As I clenched my forehead in my hand, I felt Tamamo's embrace around me.

"It's alright…Kousuke. You didn't attack me."

"But-"

"And more importantly," she interrupted "You saved our lives and chased off Berserker and his Master, which was incredibly impressive, for a human."

I let a wan smile show on my face.

"A human, huh…I'm not even sure if I can be fully counted as one…"

"Don't say that!"

Tamamo grabbed my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes.

"Kousuke. No matter what you might say or think, you are still human, and always will be. Got it?"

Her honest golden eyes bored into mine, and I just relented.

"Yeah…thanks, Tamamo."

Suddenly, I remembered something important.

"Wait, what day is it?! Caster!"

She looked away.

"Tamamo!"

"You've been asleep for 2 whole days."

XXX

-Caster-

-Day 10, 9th December, Saturday-

I woke up with a jolt. For some strange, unknown reason, I actually felt that I should have been dead. Then, it hit me like a speeding horse cart.

'Berserker?!"

I looked around frantically.

"Goshujin-sama?!"

He wasn't in the same room as me! Panicking, I slammed the sliding door open and went to search for him. Running down the corridor, what I found was not him, but-

"Caster-san?"

"Emiya!"

Seated around the living room table was Shirou, a girl with long, indigo hair I've seen with Shirou before, and-

"Rider!"

As I saw her, I immediately prepared to defend myself and so did she, but Shirou stepped in.

"Wait, Caster, Rider is not an enemy! And Rider, neither is Caster!"

As his words slowly sunk in, we both dropped our defensive stances. With a sigh, all I could say was-

"Can someone please tell me what is going on here!"

XXX

-Shirou-

With Caster seated at the table and a cup of tea to calm her nerves, I told her what had happened.

Last night, when I was walking home with Sakura, we noticed that the power was out in some parts of the neighbourhood, including my house. And when we arrived home, she was standing in the dark entryway of my house.

"Emiya-kun, would you mind telling me why the power is out in your house and half the neighbourhood?"

"Toh-Tohsaka!"

After some heavy conversation, Tohsaka left, but before she did, she left us a warning.

"Oh, and just a word of warning. Berserker has been around, but he's gone now, according to Archer. Just make sure you don't run into him. He probably just got into a fight with another Servant, and judging from the residual mana, there's only one Master-Servant that could have been fighting him."

After she left, I was torn between going to check on the site of battle and taking care of Sakura, but she just told me-

'Go if you have to, senpai. And take Rider with you, just in case."

So I did, leaving Sakura in the darkened house. When we arrived at the scene, what we found was ridiculous. It looked like a miniature Godzilla had came and left. Among the wreckage, lying flat on the road were you and Kousuke. Rider was about to finish you off, but I stopped her in time. With her carrying Kousuke and me carrying you, we brought you home, and put you in the rooms you woke up in.

"Hmm…has Kousuke woken up yet?"

"No…"

"I see…"

Caster sighed.

"Well, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to the Einzbern forest to meet with Ilya."

In the instant I said Einzbern, I could see all of Caster's fur in her tail and on her ears stand on end.

"Do you have a death wish?! You'll get splatted by Berserker! And I seriously doubt that you'll be able to stand up after that!"

"No Caster, listen!"

I told her that we had met before in the day, she also helped me once when I has to make a hard decision, and that she doesn't seem that intent on killing me. When I finished, Caster thought for a while. Finally, she shrugged and sighed.

"Fine, if that is what you wish. I don't have the right to stop you. But do you honestly think that you'll be safe, travelling so far out by yourself and without a Servant?"

"…I have no other option."

XXX

-Caster-

Shirou had just left. Despite his insistence that he did not want Rider with him, Sakura still sent her after him after Shirou had left. Following that, she returned to her room.

"…I really have a bad feeling about this…"

Especially with our current condition. My Master is bedridden, and Rider's Master seemed a bit off, like she was having a fever or an illness. And worse of all, this place barely had any defenses!

I thought about my Master as I looked for the kitchen. Why didn't he just tell me that he was a mixed-blood? Was he worried? That I wouldn't love him anymore? Of course not! I will love and protect him as long as I live!

"Alright, here we go."

With a measuring cup prepared, I took the sharpest knife I could find in the kitchen and braced myself.

"!"

I let out a small gasp of pain as I felt the blade cut into my arm and watched as my blood flowed into the cup. There definitely are many more efficient ways to do this, but right now I had no other method.

"Th-That should be enough…"

After healing my wound, I brought the cup with my blood in it to my sleeping Master. Sliding open the door, I hurried to his side for Kousuke was turning in his futon and sweating profusely with a pained expression on his face.

"Don't worry, Kousuke, I'm here!"

Gently, I grabbed hold of his head, opened his mouth and trickled some my blood into it. When I was going through Kousuke's luggage while were still at Ryuudouji, I found a few packets of blood, all labeled with lots of Japanese and English words, so I assumed that he drank blood to control his inner oni.

Of course, since that was normal blood, I didn't really expect it to do much. Mine however, is the blood of a god and yōkai, and would definitely sate his oni blood.

"That's good, he's recovering."

Despite the fact I only gave him half the blood I extracted from myself, my Master was already breathing calmly and had fallen into a peaceful sleep. With a sigh, I stood up and turned around.

"Now, to handle the other problem."

XXX

-Sakura-

-Dressing room-

"Haah…haah…"

Finally, my nausea went away, and I weakly clutched onto sink.

"Yes…it's all alright now…because…senpai can't fight anymore…haha…"

"As I thought, it was you after all."

At the sound of the voice, I gasped and tried to turn around, but lost my grip on the sink and fell on the ground. In front of me was Caster with a completely emotionless expression on her face. The difference was so great it was astounding. It was almost like the person at the table this morning and the one standing before me right now were two completely different people. Even the few worms in my body seemed to writhe in fear from her currently overwhelming presence.

There was no doubt about it.

Caster was definitely one of the strongest Servants in this war.

As I raised my hand to try to help myself up, her cold voice cut right through the air.

"Don't even think about summoning Rider or calling up that shadow, I'll kill you before you even realize you're dead."

Everything froze. My body, my brain, the only things that were still moving were the remaining worms inside me.

"No…I'm not…I'm not the shadow!"

Caster's lips curled up in a small smile.

"Oh? Interesting…I never said you were."

I squeaked as I realized that I just made a horrible mistake. Then all of a sudden, I could feel her hand on my head.

"-!"

Caster started muttering rapidly in old Japanese. No…was I really going to die here? No, no, I don't want to! I still have to do…still have to see…?

"…Eh?"

Caster had stopped speaking, and she had removed her hand as well. But…I was still in one piece? Just then…I realized something else.

The remaining worms and crest worm…the one the priest didn't remove…were no longer moving.

"Impossible…did you kill the-"

"No, the worms are not dead. If I did kill them, you would be dead too, not to mention that their owner would be alerted."

"Then?"

"I just put them in a state of temporary suspended animation, but I made it so that they were still relaying false information to whoever is using them."

Lowering herself to the ground, Caster's face became a gentler, albeit still serious face and asked-

"Now, while my spell is still working, tell me. Who did this to you, what happened to you, what is going to happen to you, and what is going to happen to the rest of us."

I bit my lip. Despite the fact I knew that grandpa would not know about this, I was still hesitant, due to the nature of my body.

"Sakura. If you don't tell me, I won't be able to help you. No one will and I can bet that right now that I'm the one with the highest chance of helping you, do you understand?"

She said those last words with such force I couldn't help but look up, and I saw her fierce, golden eyes burning straight into mine. Finally, I withered under the pressure of her gaze and my whole body just relaxed.

"Alright…I'll tell you…everything…"

-Evening-

"Hmm? Where's Caster?"

As I followed Ilya, nee-san and Shirou into the living room, Kousuke's Servant was nowhere to be seen. Ilya spun around.

"Caster?!" She said angrily "Don't tell me she's here too!"

"Ilya, it's alright," said Shirou, trying to placate her "Kousuke and Caster were my-, our allies from the beginning."

"But they attacked Berserker! They killed him almost 4 times!"

"Was it because you attacked them first?"

Ilya fell silent at this. Then, all of a sudden, Caster popped out of the kitchen, surprising all of us.

"Oh, you're all home! To repay you for taking in Master and I, I took it upon myself to help make dinner, and-"

She stopped talking as she saw Ilya.

"Geh, so Berserker's Master is now on our side as well."

"Caster, it's alright, she's-"

"Nope, I don't need to hear another word," she said, cutting Shirou off "I trust Emiya-kun's judgment. But, I still haven't forgiven her for what she did to my Master."

"I should say the same for what you did to Berserker, Caster. But it doesn't matter anymore, because he's GONE," replied Ilya icily.

"Berserker has been defeated? But who took him…the Shadow."

"Yes. Not just the Shadow. A version of Saber, corrupted by it was also there."

I flinched as I saw Caster's eyes flicker at me for a second, then looked away.

"Well, I guess that leaves me and Rider to- WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR ARM?!"

We all jumped as Caster raised her voice suddenly and ran forward to grab Shirou's left arm, wrapped in the red cloth. We all watched as Caster examined it while muttering under her breath, shaking her head all the while.

"No, no, no, this won't do! Argh! It's just one problem after another! What is wrong with you Fuyuki people?!"

As she said that, she grabbed Shirou forcefully and dragged him out to the yard.

"Caster, stop!" exclaimed nee-san. "Shirou just had that arm transplanted onto him, he needs rest!"

"Don't you tell me he needs rest!" snapped Caster "That arm will be the death of him if something isn't done about it! Shirou, there's a containment Bounded Field in that shed, right?"

"Ye-Yes."

"Good, I'll need it."

Before they entered the shed, Caster looked back at us.

"If any of you enters the shed before we leave, I can guarantee that Emiya-kun will die almost instantaneously, got it?"

And she slammed the door shut behind her.

XXX

-Shirou-

-Shed-

I sat on the floor and watched as Caster took out several things from the folds of her robes and began working on the magic circle on the ground by adding more writing to it. As she worked, she muttered to herself in really old Japanese. In between verses, she asked me:

"So. Tell me what happened to you, all the way to the finest detail that you can remember."

"I lost my arm to the Shadow while Archer lost his core, I think. Then, we were brought to the Church where Kotomine transplanted Archer's arm onto my body."

After she finished on the circle on the floor, its size had doubled and now she was writing some charms and was pasting them throughout the interior of the shed.

"Technically, that should be impossible, because first of all, a Servant is an astral being made up of prana, while you are a physical being of flesh and bone. And assuming that the transplant actually succeeded in attaching a Servant's arm to your body, you would be killed by the arm itself almost immediately, because it is made of pure prana as well as the fact that it belonged to someone much more powerful than you."

'Yeah, Kotomine told me that much."

"So, I have come to the simplest conclusion…that Archer is you."

"…Eh?"

"Archer is an Emiya Shirou that has ascended to the Throne of Heroes, simply put."

"I…became a hero?"

"Yes, once."

"Once?"

"At least once. You see, the Throne of Heroes is a place that exists outside of time itself, it is similar to the Akashic Records. No matter how many different parallel worlds and timelines exist, as long as one existence in any single one of those worlds becomes recognized by the World as a 'Hero', everything about that person will be recorded in the Throne of Heroes."

So…I became a Hero? Did I really do it? Fulfil the dream Kiritsugu couldn't?

"I would stop daydreaming about heroes if I were you. Heroes aren't the only beings who make it to the Throne of Heroes."

"What do you mean?"

"The thing is, most 'Heroes' are limited to individuals before the 19th century. Most 'Heroes' from the future after this period are mostly…Counter Guardians."

"What are those?"

"Simply put, they are heroes who are not worshipped, utilised as a mindless Counter Force by Alaya. Also known as Beasts of Alaya, some of them including human spirits pledging their service to Alaya for favours in their lifetime."

"Ok…"

"Shirou, you must understand. No matter the circumstances, you absolutely must not make a contract to become a Counter Guardian, even if it means that you get to be a hero and save the world. That is not what being a Counter Guardian means."

"I don't understand. Isn't it alright as long as I get to save people?"

"Alright, let's put it this way. There are seven continents on the planet. Let's say a catastrophe happens, and mankind will perish unless one continent is destroyed. Would you destroy that continent?"

"Of course not! I'll find a way to save everyone!"

"Well too bad, because Alaya will make you do that," said Caster in a frosty tone. "Alaya will always dispatch the Counter Force whenever humanity is threatened, and their actions usually result in 'saving the majority and sacrificing the minority'. Kill 10 to save 100. Kill 100 to save 10000. Let's say the War that is happening right now becomes a serious threat to mankind. You can bet that they will appear and just wipe Fuyuki off the face of the Earth."

"No way…" I slumped against the wall "That is just…horrible…"

Caster let out a small, derisive laugh as she continued tacking more charms all over the place.

"Well, I don't like them much either. But then again, they must dislike me more. I killed quite a few of them in the past, after all."

"You did?!"

Caster sighed.

"Yes…they came after me because…well…Shirou, do you know what an Anti-Hero is?"

"Anti-Hero…the opposite of a hero? A villain?"

"No, wrong. Anti-Heroes are heroes who are not completely pure and respectable. Proper heroes are created from respect, gratitude, and the feelings of guilt of mankind. Anti-Heroes however, die as 'evil' beings but as time passes they will eventually be treated as victims, so they will not stay as 'pure evil'. Their state of being requires them to be both 'victim and assailant', created by humanity but not part of humanity. They are a contradiction that makes them the "the enemy of the world", but allows them to be exempt from all of the restraining forces of the world."

"I see…does that mean you're an…Anti-Hero?"

As I said those words, Caster stopped working.

"Yes…I am. Emiya-kun, take a guess, do you know who I am?"

"Well…you must be Japanese…and you have kitsune features…um…I'm not too well versed in mythology…"

"Alright, some hints then. In the past, I single-handedly killed an 80000 man army. I used to serve the retired Emperor Toba. And most importantly, I am one of Japan's Three Great Monsters, and most probably am the only dead one."

Just as my mind was spinning from all the information Caster just gave me, I suddenly remembered an elementary school field trip I went on, the year after Kiritsugu rescued me.

It was a one day trip to Nasu, Tochigi.

"You are…Tamamo-no-Mae?"

Caster turned around and smiled.

"Yes, that's me. I'm glad that normal citizens still know who I am. Did you know, despite the fact that I was super powerful in the past, most of my powers are sealed as a Servant. It's only due to the fact I was summoned with the proper catalyst by a competent Master with a massive prana pool from family who worships me in my homeland that I have the amount of power I have now."

She bent down near me.

"Alright Emiya-kun. I'm going to begin now. Please put your left arm, and only your left arm up to its attachment point in this circle."

"Ok."

"Now, I am going to have to remove this shroud, and it will hurt. A lot. So please bear with me, alright?"

I just gulped and nodded. Satisfied with my reaction, Caster took a deep breath and made a single hand gesture with her left hand.

"############AAAAAAAHHH############"

Blinding pain shot through my body from Archer's arm like a lightning bolt as the Shroud of Martin unwrapped itself from the arm. Through the haze of pain I could see the magic circle glowing, the talismans and charms glowing, heck everything was glowing. Caster was chanting rapidly in archaic Japanese. Drawing a pentagram with her right hand, some kanji I couldn't recognize appeared at the points of the star and they adhered themselves to what I thought was my arm before vanishing.

"—"

My vision was half gone by now and I was seeing wild bursts of bright colours as my body spasmed uncontrollably, but I was held in place by whatever spells Caster was using. I could see kanji forming in the air and slamming into my something, but I felt nothing. Not just that, the lines from the extra circles Caster drew were literally crawling up and around it. Half of her talismans had detached themselves from the walls of the shed, and they were being blown around us like we were in a tornado.

And just as suddenly as it begun, it ended. The shroud rewrapped itself around my arm and the whole shed was silent except for my heavy breathing and panting. Caster let me rest for a few minutes, then she asked me:

"Well, how is it?"

I tried moving my left arm. To my surprised, it actually responded. Slightly. Before it was like a dead lump of heavy lead, now it was more like a clunky mechanical arm that I haven't gotten used to.

"Well, at least it's actually responding to me."

"Before this, you would have died in less than a decade with that arm stuck to you. But with my seal, you can live with it forever as long as you don't do anything rash."

"…"

"Which of course, I assume you'll end up doing anyway. Trouble seems to have a way for finding you, Emiya-kun."

Caster stood up and went to the door.

"Well, I guess it's time we head back."

"Caster…"

"Yes?"

"If…If ever I need…to completely unseal my arm…how do I do it?"

Caster was silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry Caster, but I need to know. At the rate this war is going, I have a feeling that an emergency is going to happen sooner or later. And when that happens, I will use this arm, even if it kills me."

"…despite the fact that almost everyone in that house will disagree with what you're saying now, I myself can't help but have a bad feeling that you're right. Listen carefully. This seal itself has no name as it is a mixture of seals, but the way I sealed your arm, your whole existence itself must have the overwhelming desire and need to undo the seal, so much so you can no longer think of anything else. When that happens, the seal will break. A verbal command helps, but not very much."

"What is the verbal command?"

"There isn't one. You just have to come up with one on the spot. Now come on, I haven't finished dinner."

"Right…thank you, Tamamo."

"My pleasure."

XXX

-Night-

"So…hot…"

I slowly murmured to myself as I slowly made my way outside. I had just woken up, drenched in sweat. No matter what I did, I just couldn't figure out what time it was or where I was.

Somehow, I ended up in the yard, to cool myself down. I didn't know whether this heat was coming from my room or my body, but-

"Guh- Ah!"

A sudden pain brought me to my knees. Breathing heavily, I finally came to my senses. I squeezed my left arm, the apparent source of the heat and pain. The Shroud was still wrapped around it, restraining my arm. I could move it, but it was wrapped so tightly it felt like its circulation was restricted. Maybe the cloth was the source of the pain.

"Maybe my arm's just as it was if I take it off."

That wild idea was incredibly attractive. First of all, I never saw my arm destroyed or transplanted. Even when Caster was doing something with it, I didn't get a good look.

But…didn't it hurt when she took off the cloth?

No…maybe it was whatever spell she put on me…yeah…

Maybe there's nothing wrong with my arm, and my real arm will be right there when I take this cloth off. My arm isn't steel, the cloth is just making my arm stiff…

So I unwrapped it.

What happened next was so indescribably painful I couldn't even find words to describe it.

I couldn't even breathe. My nerves felt like they were being fried. I was alive, but I couldn't feel anything. I had never felt closer to death before. Under that cloth, the arm was completely black.

An arm that was not mine.

"What—was I doing?"

I unwrapped the cloth because of my sudden idea. I did not understand what happened after that. What had been done to me. What would have happened to me. It only happened a few seconds ago, but I couldn't remember at all.

"This is bad, it's really…"

I would die if I release it. Both the priest's and Caster's words were completely true. I don't know what will happen, but what's under this cloth was not mine.

"Forget about it. It's just that my arm barely works. If I think about it anymore, I'll…"

I'll slow down because of fear. That is not allowed. Archer's arm wasn't transplanted onto me so that I could cower in fear.

"That's right, I have to think about Sakura instead of my arm."

Sakura wasn't that different this morning, but who knows when she'll collapse again. I have to defeat Zouken and obtain the Holy Grail before that. I have to think of a way to do that, a way to beat Zouken and Assassin with one arm. And not just them…the black shadow…and Saber as well. I don't know whether she became Zouken's Servant or not, but she's my enemy now.

"…"

To be honest, I know. We have almost no chance of victory. Kousuke is still out cold, Sakura will use up too much mana if she lets Rider fight more, while Tohsaka and Ilya have lost their Servants. I don't know what this pain will be like in the future. The difference in our powers is overwhelming, and I'm not sure of myself.

How can I protect Sakura in such a state?

XXX

-Rider-

Silently, after my conversation with him, I watched from the shadows as Emiya Shirou slowly walked back into the house.

"…"

"He's a real idiot, isn't he. Even after I warned him not to, he still took it off."

I quickly turned to my left and sensed Caster's presence.

"How long have you been there, Caster."

"All this time."

But how? She definitely didn't have the Presence Concealment skill, but I didn't sense her at all?

"Come on, relax. You were probably too preoccupied with Emiya-kun to realize I was here."

"…So where were you before he came out."

"I was inside, with my Master."

"…"

Just as I was about to leave, Caster called out to me.

"Come on, Rider. You must be tired after today. Come have a drink with me?"

Just then, I caught the faint scent of alcohol drift over from Caster's direction. To be frank, I did not want any…but I had not had any form of alcohol in a long, long time, so I decided to take up her offer.

"Well…just one cup then."

I made my way to where Caster was and sat next to her. I heard the sound of liquid being poured.

"Here, you go. I hope you like it."

I took the small, ceramic cup from Caster's hands and took a sip. It was mild, smooth and rich, unlike the alcoholic drinks of my time which were lauded for their strong taste.

"It's quite good."

"Thank you. Say…Rider?"

"What is it?"

"I heard…that you all were attacked by Assassin?"

"Yes, we were. Why?"

I heard the sound of Caster pouring more drink for herself.

"That's troubling. Master was absolutely certain that he had killed Assassin for sure."

"He did? When?"

"On the same night you and Emiya-kun brought myself and Master to Emiya's house. Before we were attacked by Berserker."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I definitely felt his presence vanish, and it was because he had died, or was about to."

I was about to take another drink before I realized my cup was already empty. Caster then took my cup and poured more for me.

"Um, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Slowly, it seemed like Caster was becoming a much more likeable person. And that point, I remembered something.

"Now that I think about it, I did lift my visor once to confirm everyone's position. And Assassin looked a bit…different, than I remembered."

"How so?"

"Actually, he looked the same, except that he had a faint, red vein-like pattern running across his the whole of his black body."

"Hmm…Saber was consumed by the Shadow as well, and look what happened to her. The same thing probably happened to Assassin. And if that Shadow can turn any Servant it consumes into its own, then that means that Berserker…"

"Yes, it's something we must prepare for."

I accepted more drink from Caster.

"But I must say, Caster. Your Master is quite amazing. Killing Assassin, being able to at least keep up with me in battle, managing to hold off Berserker enough for them to retreat, and I even heard that he dueled Saber to a draw."

"Once Assassin was trapped by my seals, he was done for already, even if my Master wasn't there. Saber was weakened from taking Lancer's lance to the chest as well as from Emiya's inaptitude as a Master. Both nights after he fought you and Saber, he passed out immediately when we got home. No matter how good his swordsmanship or his Magecraft is, he is still a human."

"What about with Berserker then?"

As Caster spoke, I could hear her voice shake a little.

"What happened with Berserker…was something that could have been avoided. It's not his fault or his will…it's his blood. I don't ever want that to ever happen again. If it ever gets out of control…he'll be completely consumed by it…"

I had no idea what Caster was talking about, but I just assumed that Caster's Master had some inhuman blood in him.

"…You love him, don't you?"

"Yes. I do. Maybe even more than you love Sakura."

At her words, I gave her a wan smile.

"Hmm. Maybe…just maybe…"

And that night, between the two of us, we finished all of Caster's entire bottle of sake.

XXX

-Caster-

-Day 11, 10th December, Dojo-

I sat there, unconcerned, watching as Shirou, Rin, Sakura, and Ilya made plans for the future. I had already given Kousuke his share of my blood and prana for this morning, so I honestly had nothing better to do for once. Fufufu, goshujin-sama's sleeping face is so cute! Especially when I'm rap- I mean, lovingly giving him my prana so that he recovers faster!

"Well then, what are your plans, Caster?"

I look around to see all four of them looking at me. Seating myself in a more proper position, I give them my reply.

"I apologize. As long as my Master is unconscious, I do not wish to carry out any actions. I have a few reasons, one of them being my Master requires as much mana as possible to recover right now. But rest assured, neither my Master nor myself will do anything to oppose to you. You have our full cooperation."

Shirou nodded.

"I understand Caster. Thank you for your help."

And with that, the battle plans ended and Thaumaturgy Education 101 for Dummies: Drastic Measures Edition began. I watched in mild interest as the Rin forcefully made Shirou strip his clothes off while completely ignoring his feeble protests with Sakura staring daggers at them all the while. Well, what do you know. He has quite a decent build, but my beloved goshujin-sama's is much better!

"Um, Senpai…! W-We, um…made love, right!?"

"Ah—Um—"

I sighed with a smile. Youth is such a great thing, isn't it?

NOT THAT I'M OLD OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

-Lunch-

"I'm done! Hmm, lunch isn't ready yet?"

I entered the living room and sat down at the table with Shirou and Ilya.

"Welcome back, Caster. Where did you go?" asked Shirou.

"I went out and placed two Bounded Fields around your house. Think of it as returning the favour you did when you rescued my Master and I."

"You did? What are they?"

"The first one is Hachigyō Sōgai. It's a double dislocation barrier that erases this building from the memories of anyone who knows about this building as well as erases the presence of this building to anyone who looks at it. People can only know of its existence, when I, the caster, tells them about it. Which means I have to tell Rin and Sakura later, or they won't be able to find this place if they leave it."

"Eh? You mean…everyone has forgotten about this house…and if anyone looks at it from outside…"

"It'll look like an empty lot. The second one is one I invented after being summoned here. Hakudan Keppeki. It's a special barrier and it's one and only purpose is to stop Servants from entering this home."

"How?" asked Ilya.

"After studying the Bounded Field around Ryuudouji which is able to repel Servants and the very composition of us Servants ourselves, I have developed a temporary barrier that denies entry to any Servant. It cannot be broken by brute force, or dispelled by modern Thaumaturgy. The drawback is the duration. It only activates on contact. When an enemy Servant enters its proximity, the barrier will activate for 15 minutes only. Then, it has to be completely reset."

"I see…what about you and Rider?"

"I've already written the data from the prana composition and signatures of myself and Rider into the Bounded Field, so we will be able to pass through unhindered."

"That's amazing, Caster."

"As expected of the Caster class," nodded Ilya.

"Thank you for the praise~"

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Day 12, 11th December, Guest room-

"I see…so much happened in the past two days…" and all this time I've been asleep, the shadow has just been killing more people?!"

Caster suddenly grabbed my hand.

"It's alright, Master. What matters is that you're awake now…and now we can help out to our fullest."

I looked at her and nodded.

"Right. Caster, what time is it?"

"Just after lunch. Why?"

I spoke as I got up from the futon.

"I have to see Shirou."

XXX

-Shirou-

It was just after lunch. Sakura offered to wash the dishes so Ilya and I were watching television in the living room when the door slid open.

"Emiya Shirou."

"Kousuke?! You're awake?"

"Yes."

I watched as he steadily sat himself down at the table and froze.

"You are…the Einzbern Master?"

"Yes. I am Ilyasviel von Einzbern."

I expected hostility from Kousuke, since Ilya and Berserker were the ones who landed him and Caster in my house in the first place. But he just nodded.

"Caster has told me about your Servant's passing and your alliance with Shirou. Your help will be greatly appreciated in our effort of defeating the Shadow."

From beside him, I heard Caster mutter.

"Tch, Kousuke, you're really too polite or something. At least give her a punch or something…accursed loli…"

"Did you say something, Caster?"

"Nope, nope, nothing at all~"

Kousuke turned back to me.

"Are Tohsaka, Matou and Rider around?"

"I can go call them now."

"No need, I'm just asking."

He finished his tea and stood up.

"Well, I have to be going now. If you ever need my help, all you need to do is call."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to Ryuudouji."

"Ryuudouji?!" said Ilya "The temple?! Are you nuts?!"

"No. The thing is, Caster and I have no doubts that the temple may be playing an important role in this issue. Also, the fact that a massive amount of negative prana has accumulated there is going to be no help to anyone. Thus, Caster and I are going there to try and clean the temple of its bad prana and set up a number of Bounded Fields there."

"But is it really necessary?"

"Yes. I just have this feeling…that the last boss will be waiting there at the end of all this. If a fight ever breaks out between it and us, the Bounded Fields will help to contain any damage to just that spot. Either way, we both left important things in the temple, so we have to go and recover them."

"I see…"

I stood up and held my hand out to Kousuke.

"Well. I don't really have anything that I can say to you now. Good luck, Kousuke."

"Same to you, Shirou. And thank you for these past two days."

"No problem."

And I watched their backs as they left my home.

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Ryuudouji-

"…This is horrible."

The air was thick with the stench of death and blood. All the negative prana almost manifested as a dark mist hanging over the area. And it was worst at the lake. There was literally, a thick, dark mist surrounding and over it. I looked to my right to see Caster holding numerous artefacts, all for the purpose of sealing off just the lake. I knew it was going to be dangerous, and I was worried.

"There's something in there, isn't there?"

"Yes, goshujin-sama. But I can't tell what it is. Not yet."

"...are you ready, Tamamo?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

And thus, the cleansing began.

* * *

Holy shit, that took much longer than I thought. I expected to finish this in under a month, but then I got really busy and now it took more than 3(?) months to finish. Thank you for reading as always, and a special thanks to spiderrock who included my OC and Caster in his own fic (which has progressed much faster than mine).

I also want to address another thing I have seen quite a few times in the reviews. Kousuke and his family have absolutely nothing to do with the Uchiha from Naruto whatsoever. I could have just made his Mystic Eyes plain red without the mitsudomoe design, but when I was a kid I watched Naruto quite a lot, and although I stopped watching when I grew older (I never actually watched Shippuden, just bits and pieces whenever it happened to be on TV), I just wanted to give a tribute to it. Also, it seems that the Naruto manga actually ended for quite some time already, so it's even more tributy.

Once again, thanks for reading! And please leave a review, they help a lot when I'm writing my fic.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Alter**

I finally got around to writing this.

Disclaimer: Unlimited-Budget-Works

* * *

-Kousuke-

-Day 15, 14th December, Dawn-

As an 18 year old, I already have my driver's license and am quite proficient in driving. However, driving at nearly 130km per hour with a screaming woman sitting in the passenger seat is hell.

"GO MASTER GO! HURRY!"

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP YELLING TAMAMO!"

"LEFT, LEFT, LEFT!"

"I HEARD YOU!"

I was currently speeding down the freeway in a 'borrowed' car with Caster next to me, all because of one call I received this morning…

XXX

-Ryuudouji, 3am-

Roused from my sleep thanks to my ringing mobile phone, I picked it up and groggily answered.

"Hello…WHAT?!"

I got up in such an extreme motion that Caster got thrown off the futon.

"Geh, Kousuke?!"

I held up a hand to silence Caster as I listened to Shirou speak frantically to me over the phone. When he finished, I answered-

"Got it. We'll get over there as soon as possible. But we need to prepare first, and might arrive an hour after you, at least. Find our way? Don't worry, we have that handled. Good luck."

I hung up.

"Goshujin-sama, was that Shirou?"

"Yes. Get ready. We're leaving," I said as I changed.

"What happened?"

"To summarize it, Sakura got completely taken over by the Shadow, attacked Rin, Ilya and Shirou who were temporarily saved by Rider. Then when Sakura was about to devour them all, Ilya sacrificed herself and let Sakura take her. Shirou is now headed to the Einzbern Manor to save both of them with the Kotomine priest. Also, Saber which had been altered by the Shadow is now Sakura's Servant."

As Caster hopped around gathering her things, I finished changing. This time into a sleeveless dark-grey shirt, black pants and fingerless combat gloves, all with Reinforcement kanji on them.

"But how did Saber get past my barrier?"

"She's part of the Shadow now. As far as I'm concerned, nothing can stop that prana-devouring Shadow from getting where it wants to."

Yes, despite all the Bounded Fields and cleansing rituals we performed at the temple, the darkness only cleared up by about 50%. The lake was now completely cordoned off and the safest place was only inside the guest house.

"Alright, I found Ilya! My trackers are still working!"

While we were still staying at Shirou's place, Caster gave everyone a magical tracking bead so that we could find them if they ever got into trouble. Walking over to the table, I grabbed the gourd, uncorked it, and took a whiff.

"…shit, it's not ready yet. If only we were doing this by tonight…"

"Kousuke…"

I turned to see Caster with a worried face and pleading eyes.

"Please don't…even with that, I don't want to see you taken over by your oni blood again."

I shook my head.

"We have no choice Caster. If I'm right, altered versions of Saber, Assassin and Berserker will all be there. I don't think we can fend them off with just you, since Shirou never said whether Rider was going."

Ignoring Caster, I took a long swig from the gourd. The fiery liquid ran down my throat, spreading an indescribable feeling throughout by body as my oni blood accepted the offering. Recorking the gourd, I walked over to the door and slammed it open.

"Come on Tamamo. We have a ride to catch."

XXX

-Ilya-

-Einzbern Forest, Trench-

I had no idea how far Shirou and I had been chased by Berserker, but even in this trench, I knew we did not have long. The ground trembled as the embodiment of the storm approached. Suddenly, Shirou spoke up.

"…I'm going. I'm going to defeat him, Ilya."

"Eh?"

I looked up in surprise and noticed that his right hand was on his left arm.

"No! You can't do that! You can't come back once you've used Archer's arm! You'll die; no, you'll be killed first! You haven't done anything wrong, so you don't have to go that far!"

"I'll bear it. I'll somehow bear it even if I almost die, so you don't have to worry about me. Oh, and let me correct you. I've done bad things before."

"Eh—, Shirou…?"

"Then I'm going. Wait here, Ilya."

After Shirou patted my head, he climbed out of the trench.

"Wait, Shirou!"

I got out of the trench to see no sign of Shirou except a trail of disturbed leaves where he ran to meet Berserker.

"No Shirou! Come back! I need to tell you something! About Berserker, his lives! HIS LIVES!"

XXX

-Shirou-

"It's time—"

I placed my hand on the knot by my shoulder. The knot on my wrist is tight so if I have to take the cloth off, it'll have to be from here. I just need to pull it all off after that, then I'll be assailed by pain that's ten times worse than all I've suffered till now.

"—"

Kotomine said it's the switch on a time bomb. The fuse will be lit once I take it off. I don't know if it'll explode in the next minute or the next day. All I know is that I can't put out the fire once it's lit.

—My mouth goes dry.

Fear doesn't go away with determination. I just want to scream out of sheer dread

—If I'll be sane or not.

I'm scared of myself. My death is only natural. I'll be killed even if I stay here. If I'm going to die either way, I'll choose the method that will keep me alive longer.

So there's only one thing I'm scared of. And that is the possibility of losing my mind before my body dies.

Will I be able to bear the pain? I might lose my sanity and forget about Ilya and Sakura. I might even forget my promise to protect them.

That's what I'm scared of. That's the only thing I'm scared of. That's why I sealed it. I know I can't use this arm even if my life's at stake.

Berserker's appearance isn't someone else's business. I'll be like him if I give in to the pain and lose my mind. No, the fear will always be with me so long as this arm exists. This arm's the embodiment of a nightmare that seeks to kill me.

But, why did I keep this arm in spite of that?

—Then cut it off.

There's only one reason. This arm exists to be used, and he entrusted me with it because it will be needed.

He said I'll be judged by myself. Ilya said I haven't done anything bad.

"Yeah…that's good enough."

The atonement lies here. I betrayed myself and sacrificed many lives. There's something I can't give up, and that's why I continue to live.

I put my hand on the red penalty. Live or die. I take a deep breath and rip the clot—

At that instant. The world crumbled apart.

"Ah."

Blowing despair. A strong wind that's going faster than a hundred meters per second. A fierce wind that doesn't allow the existence of living things, let alone allow one to stand up.

Therefore, it's not a wind. It's steel, and my body's crushed by the pressure.

"Gah-"

My eyeballs are squashed. My back sinks into the wall. I can't life my hand or fingers. My blood flows backward. My mind is bleached white. There's no pain. Feeling pain and enduring it are too human-like to happen here.

"Ah, ah-"

I'm melting. I can't even groan in protest. There's nothing. I have no way to fight it off. I have to move forward, but I can't move a finger.

"Urg-"

—I'm disappearing. My body lost already, but I clenched my teeth, not letting my mind lose…but it was already disappearing.

I won't make it. I can't move, no matter how hard I try. I can't stay, no matter how determined I am. I try to clench my right fist with my whole existence on the line. If I can, I'll be able to hang in here. If I can move any part of my body, I can use that to move forward.

I can't move a finger, let alone make a fist. My left eyeball is crushed. The rush of wind ruptures my eardrums. My vision faded away…but within it…

I see an unbelievable image.

"Ah."

He's standing. He's standing in this wind. He's standing, walking to the other side. As if it's a matter of course. The wind of steel has no effect on him. He walked forward, his red coat billowing behind him.

"Ah…ah-"

Strength is back in my jaws. I grit my teeth. My right hand is already in a fist. The red knight took no notice of me. Set in a stern expression, his face is slightly turned away, showing no interest in me as the wind rushed to engulf me.

For him, this result was expected. Emiya Shirou cannot stand against this wind. He knew there was no future for a man who betrayed himself and wished for something out of his reach.

He's right. The crimes I've accumulated will judge me. But he…

"—Can you keep up with me?"

As if to scorn me, as if to believe in me. He's waiting for me to get there.

"—It's not 'can you keep up with me'."

My vision fires up. I forced as much heat as I could into my body. My limbs cut through the wind like giant swords.

"YOU KEEP UP WITH ME—!"

I pass the red figure with all my might.

"█▄▅▅█▃▄███▄▅▅█!"

I stepped onto the ground. The wind died down. There's about thirty meters to the black giant. It'll take him less than three seconds to close this distance. —Therefore. The outcome of this battle will be decided in the next three seconds.

My mind's clear. I know the scope of my power. Projection using creation concept, basic structure, composition, production technique, growth experience, and accumulated years. A Reality Marble that inverts the world engraved on your soul, the embodiment of the mental world using theory of magic, the world egg. Inheritance of battle technique and experience from Archer. Failed to read physical strength. I'll still be killed in one blow.

Reality Marble, 'Unlimited Blade Works' isn't usable. Archer's world and mine are different. I can't reproduce it. I can only reproduce what Emiya Shirou has learned, or the Noble Phantasms he has recorded. If I'm to use a Noble Phantasm from my left arm, I have to search within 'Unlimited Blade Works' for the Noble Phantasm best suited for the situation and reproduce it.

But be warned. Projection is a double-edged sword. If I use it—

"—"

I only need to understand the weapons I can use. I already know the precautions. I have to move forward. I have to go beyond that wind and defeat myself—

"Release, Seal of Amaterasu."

A burst of shining light emanated from my left arm as the marks from Caster's seal shone a brilliant gold. As the seal broke, I could feel all of Caster's prana put into that seal rush into my arm and mix with my own magical energy, granting me even more power that I could have ever imagined.

"Trace, on."

I stared at it. I saw through his giant sword. I opened my left hand and grasped the imaginary handle of the weapon that has yet to exist. An extraordinary weight. Emiya Shirou cannot handle this giant sword. But…my left arm will definitely reproduce the strength of my enemy.

"Ah—"

It breaks. A part of my brain explodes. My bones break, not being able to withstand the overflowing magical energy. It's unsightly like apple skin.

But it held. I could feel Caster's prana pulsing through my body, protecting me from some of the backlash from using Archer's arm.

"Here I come—"

But there's no need to worry. Will reinforce the broken parts. I will give my undivided attention to killing him for certain.

"██▃▃▃▄▅▅█"

He notices me. His hostility now has a focus. Recognizing my use of magic as a threat, his eyes moved.

They're like ominous stars. The giant gives a death cry and runs to kill his enemy.

—Mad warrior.

The giant is insane, but still the same. He's still fighting his battle against Saber. He is blind and insane, his life has ended multiple times over, and his body is rotting, but he's still fighting to protect Ilya.

"—"

One second.

The running giant won't stop with one blow, and normal projection is useless against him. Tracing won't do the trick. I can't beat that giant unless I use projection past my limits. Therefore—

"Trigger, off."

Nine in my head. I use all twenty-seven Magic Circuits in my head and smash it in one blow.

Two seconds.

He's right before me. His massive sword is upraised. Torrent and swirling vigor. He steps forward, and I confront him by also stepping forward. Upper arm, collarbone, windpipe, temple, diaphragm, rib, testicles, thigh, and lastly, chest. I take aim at the nine targets.

"Set—Nine Lives Blade Works."

I surpass the crashing speed of sound using godspeed!

"██▄▅▅██▄▅▅█▃▄█"

Hit by both the legendary weapon that killed the Hydra and the power of the Japanese sun god, Berserker gave a roar as his torn body was flung a great distance backwards into the forest.

XXX

"—Haa."

I resumed breathing. My left arm burns, and I ache all over. Snakes with electricity are in my body, wriggling around like mad.

"Ah—guh—"

All of sudden, just as quickly as it had came, all the strength suddenly left my body as my left arm burnt hotter than before.

"SHIROU!"

I turned around to see Ilya running at me…crying?

"Shirou!"

"Don't worry Ilya…it's over…I defea-"

Ilya started shaking her head.

"How many times did you hit him?!"

Confused as to why Ilya was asking me such a strange question despite my searing pain, I replied her.

"…Nine?"

And as she heard that, she gave a short gasp and began sobbing and apologizing at the same time.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I wasn't able to tell you…"

Sensing the dread in her voice, I listened as my left arm burnt.

"After Kousuke and Caster killed my Berserker so many times…I was really, really mad…when I got home…I…I…I used a Command Seal!"

A sense of dread began bubbling within me as well as I heard her speak.

"I made him…I made him regenerate…some of his lives…it hurt so much…my body felt like it was on fire since I lost one of the Command Seals I was using to control Berserker…but…he did it…I'm sorry…"

My dread grew as I heard a faint rustling sound behind me.

"…How many lives did Berserker have left before he got taken by the Shadow."

In a voice less than a whisper, Ilya confirmed our dread.

"…Eleven."

An unholy roar rang through the forest as the black giant reappeared, crashing through the trees.

"ILYA!"

Grabbing Ilya to shield her with my body, I braced for the impact that was to come.

"TAIGYOKU ONMYOUDAMA!"

XXX

At the sound of her voice, my head whipped around to see a massive, swirling black and white orb of pure energy slam into Berserker, staggering him. As I watched, our godsend arrived in the form of a pink-haired, twintailed sorceress with fox ears and tail.

"Caster!"

She turned her head briefly to survey us.

"Looks like we arrived just in time. You don't look so good," she said as she eyed my arm.

"Sorry, Caster."

At that moment, Berserker who had just recovered from the spell, leapt right at Caster, who did not make a single move.

"CASTER!"

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm just the distraction. In fact, despite my admonitions, he said he would take on Berserker himself."

"Eh?"

And in that split second where Berserker was about to hit Caster, what I could describe as nothing other than blazing red comet, burning as bright as a star burst out from the direction Caster appeared from, slammed right into Berserker and the two went flying far into the forest.

"My job is to get you out of here safely first…which will seem to prove to be harder than it looks."

As I was wondering what she meant, out from the direction in which Berserker originally emerged from…she appeared. Caster's lips twisted upwards in a wry smile.

"Hello again…Saber. You look different, did you get a palette swap?"

"Save the banter, Caster," replied Saber as she drew her sword.

"Tch, so impatient," replied Caster with a shrug while shaking her head.

"Shirou, hurry! I did up your arm, let's get moving!"

I turned to Ilya who muttered that to me in less than a whisper. The pain in my arm had lessened as well, since she just tied the Shroud back on.

"But Caster-"

"Let's GO!" she hissed.

"…Alright."

Getting up to run, I could see Saber immediately try to chase after us to find her way blocked by Caster.

"Nope, sorry, but can't let you pass. Time to dance, I guess?" said Caster as she undid her twintails, instead tying her hair into a ponytail. Saber gave her a slight questioning look, as though questioning the necessity or her action. Upon seeing that, Caster replied.

"What, don't you know? Girls always tie their hair into a ponytail when things get really serious!"

XXX

-Caster-

Saber was fast. Fast with a capital F. Thank god that my Agility was high enough with Reinforcement all over and inside me, otherwise I would have been hit long ago.

"Bushoguma!"

With a whirl of my hands, a pair or swirling tornadoes emerged and homed in onto Saber, who dodged one and slashed through the other. Another blessing was that her Magic Resistance had been decreased to B, otherwise the powers of my mid-tier spells would have no effect at all. As the number of tails I had out grew to three, I could feel all my stats rising, especially Magic.

"Ondeko: -"

While Saber was still preoccupied with the remaining tornado, I created a wheel of lightning studded with half a dozen orbs above me in the image of Raijin and finished the casting.

"-Midareuchi!"

At that word, the orbs began rapidly firing a storm of never-ending lightning arrows automatically at Saber, who was working hard to dodge and deflect them all, leaving my hands free to cast again.

"Koyousetsu!"

Materializing dozens of crystallized prana shards around me, I began firing them at Saber unrelentlessly like a hail of diamonds.

"!"

Swinging her sword faster than the eye can see, the non-stop sound of crystals and lighting hitting her blade rang through the clearing like rain on a roof as she continued to evade the relentless tornado and the lightning assaulting her sides. But even so, her defense was not perfect. I could see my spells beginning to get through, making small chinks and cuts in her armor. Therefore, I decided to continue pushing.

"Onibidama!"

The tips of my tails flared to life, releasing pulsing balls of searing blue flames which automatically homed in on their target from all directions as they spread out. Sensing the impending danger, Saber acted.

"…Burst."

Suddenly, she released a wave of dark prana from her sword which pulsed outwards, eradicating the tornado, fireballs and crystals, just as my Ondeko: Midareuchi ended.

"Oh shit-"

With her Prana Burst skill, Saber dashed right up into my face and unleashed a barrage of sword strikes, which I blocked repeatedly with my mirror. Although my mirror was almost unbreakable despite the relentless battering of Saber's dark sword, I might slip up sooner or later, so I did a fast backflip as I casted again.

"Jaenryū!"

Releasing a trio of crimson fire dragons from my tails, they distracted Saber sufficiently enough for me to gain a bit of distance. Sprouting a fourth tail, I whipped my hands into formation and formed a spell.

"Kyūsōu Rinsatsu!"

A large, lime-green ring formed in front of me before splitting into nine and surrounding Saber, buffeting her with a high-frequency sound with such a strong crushing power that cracks began to appear in her armor as she faltered slightly.

"Ghrk-"

Seizing my chance, I placed my hands together and chanted as they ignited with a bright orange flame.

"Guren-"

Throwing my right arm back as if readying for a punch, I kicked off the ground, dashing straight at Saber.

"-Hōōken!"

Like a flaming phoenix sword, my fist collided with Saber's sword, releasing a shockwave that reverberated through the clearing as I followed through with my spell, pushing Saber backwards from the force of my spell as she was hit further by the massive gout of flame.

"Vortigern!"

"Shi-"

I immediately raised my mirror to block as the Hammer of the Vile King swung upwards to bisect me. Although my mirror did its job, it didn't stop me from being blown backwards into the air and landing on my back almost 10 metres away.

"Geh…now that hurt…and here she comes again."

Without even stopping, Saber dashed forward once more in the unrelenting pursuit of my death. In return, I quickly bounced up onto my feet, grew a fifth tail and summoned…it.

"Heian-kyō no Tobira:…"

The strongest physical defense in my arsenal without using my Noble Phantasm, usable only with at least five of my tails out, based off the ancient gate of old Kyōto, then known as Heian-kyō—

": Rashōmon!"

There was a dull, reverberating 'BONG' as Saber slammed right into the doors of the massive gate that had burst right out of the ground in a split second. Nearly 50 metres wide, 5 metres thick and almost 60 metres high, the gate easily towered over the rest of the forest. On both sides of its solid metal gates were a demonic, leering face, due to the legends which stated that Ibaraki-dōji once made the Rashōmon his home.

"Alright, here we go-"

Although the gate was completely opaque to Saber, I could see everything from my side due a mirror hanging on my side of the gate, in which I could see everything on the other side. As it was, I could see Saber carefully contemplating the gate, which I would not give her time for. Finishing my spell, the doors swung open in an instant, much faster than what physics would have denoted, also taking Saber by surprise.

Or maybe it was the twelve swords of fire, each the size of my Master, floating behind me in a ring as I too was levitating slightly off the ground.

"Hyakki: Retsujitsu no Haja!"

On my command, the swords broke formation and flew forward, all ready to impale Saber like a kebab.

But she was just as fast as they were. Knowing that blocking them with her own sword was a no-go, she simply weaved in and out as the swords stuck themselves into the ground where Saber was mere moments ago. Just as the last sword struck, Saber seemed ready for a counterattack-

Right before every single sword exploded together in a maelstrom of scorching flames.

"If you told me that that didn't just damage her, even a little bit, I'll eat my own tail," I said to myself.

However, I was still on alert. And it was a good thing I was. After a few seconds, Saber burst out of the flames, heading right towards the open gate at an incredible speed due to her Prana Burst, despite her being completely scorched. But I was ready for this.

"Rashōmon: Kengeki Muryō."

At my command, hundreds of massive blades appeared near the base of the gate, high enough to prevent Saber from jumping over it. Saber who was definitely not expecting that the gate could be used offensively as well as defensively, narrowly avoided being completely skewered by the blades. She was knocked some distance backwards by the giant cluster of retractable blades and after the gates closed, I could see through the mirror than I had finally done some proper damage to her, aside from barbequing her alive.

"Payback for that earlier swing of your sword…that hurt like a bitch you know!"

In reply, Saber simply lifted her sword and I could see her dark prana swirling around it as it grew more massive. As it reached the maximum point, she released it as a blast right towards gate…

…leaving a small dent in the doors. I smiled as I saw Saber's slight state of shock.

"Impossible…a fully-powered Burst Air!?"

"I'm impressed Saber. You actually managed to leave a dent in it. That in itself is already an incredibly commendable act."

I wasn't lying. To be able to dent my Rashōmon was no small feat. In fact, I was confident that the only thing that could take it down was an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. However, Saber seemed to take my compliment as an insult, which of course was definitely not my true intention~~

"Ah, there she goes. I was waiting for her to do that."

If you couldn't get through the gate, and you couldn't break through it, wouldn't you try to go around it? However, even Saber can't cover that large a distance in a split second, even with Prana Burst.

"I won't let you do that, Saber!"

Activating the launchers installed in the roof tiles, I launched a great swarm of blades (normal-sized this time) at Saber, stopping her in her tracks completely and forcing her to dodge back and defend. The hail of blades was so dense that I could see Saber working as hard as possible to survive.

"And now-"

"▅▅▅██▃▃▄██▄▄▅█▅▅▅▂▄██!"

We both froze as a massive roar reverberated through the whole area and our heads turned in shock to see a part of the forest being incinerated by a massive scarlet dome of sheer power.

"No…Kousuke…GOSHUJIN-SAMA!"

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Some time ago, just as Caster and Saber began their fight-

We were brawling.

It wasn't even a contest of skill or anything else anymore.

It was just seeing who could hit their enemy harder.

"ORA!"

"█▅▅!"

Once again, my fist met his sword, and the resulting shockwave cleared the immediate area around us of trees. The part of the forest where we were fighting was practically destroyed. When we ran, we did not even bother to avoid the trees. We ran right through them. Every time we collided, we sent shockwaves and rushes of air through the area.

This wasn't even a fight between a Master and a Berserker anymore.

This was just a fight between two Berserkers.

"Shi-"

A sudden swing caught me off guard and despite my defense, I was sent straight through half a dozen trees.

"What the hell…the Shadow made him even stronger than before?!"

Even at my 50% released Crimson Red Vermillion, I was just only keeping up with him.

"!"

Getting back on my feet and with a kick of my right foot, I sent a beam of pure heat lancing straight towards Berserker's head, which he still managed to dodge.

"And even in that state he knows how to dodge my heat…"

Dashing forward, I ducked to avoid a swing and circled around him a few times before taking a short leap and giving him a right hook straight to the chest. But just like with me earlier, he was only pushed back several metres and seemed relatively unharmed, replying with his usual roar.

"█▃▃▄█!"

To be honest, there really was no way to put our battle into words. We were just a pair of black and red tornadoes whirling through the forest, leaving a massive path of destruction in our wake.

"Gh-"

But even then, I could feel myself faltering slightly. The stuff I took back at the house was still incomplete and I could feel my oni slowly eating away at my mind.

But…if I do not use more power…I might not be able to defeat Berserker here!

"Wait, what?!"

All of a sudden I realized, aside from Berserker there was another enemy. I could see the black mud of the Shadow slowly, but silently creeping up on me. With Berserker in front and the mud behind, there was only one thing left for me to do.

"…Release the self-imposed restriction, 75%, Level 3."

And my surroundings were engulfed by a burst of red.

XXX

-When Caster called up her Rashōmon-

Punch.

Dodge.

Evade.

Burn.

Block.

Kick.

Punch.

Those were only things of importance going through my mind as I fought Berserker after further releasing my Crimson Red Vermillion. Finally, I was able to somewhat overpower him but at a cost. My mind was being eroded even faster than before. But I was strong. The ground where I placed my foot cracked as I stepped on it. Every strike landed on Berserker seemed to affect him more. Every strike I took from him seemed to feel lighter, despite the horrible crunching noise of steel on steel with each collision. As for the mud, I didn't even have to worry any more. The oni aura given off by my Crimson Red Vermillion seemed to burn the mud away.

But I was tiring. I had to finish this soon. My consciousness was slowly but surely slipping away…and I had to finish this before 'he', showed up.

"COME ON YOU BLACK BASTARD I'LL BEAT YOU INTO A BLOODY PULP!"

Letting off an even bigger blast at Berserker, I ran at Berserker as he avoided it, then with a leap, I just tackled Berserker with my whole body, sending him crashing metres away into the trees. But at the same time, another sharp bolt of pain coursed through my mind.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!"

Gripping my head with my hands with enough force to tear apart plate metal, I struggled to keep my mind together just as Berserker returned to the battlefield.

"ORAAAAA!"

This time, both our attacks collided with each other and once more, we were both sent flying in opposite directions. After crashing through about 8 trees, I landed at the base of the ninth one but quickly got up. However, that attack and short lapse in concentration was enough for 'him' to emerge.

"_Come on…just give in…it won't be long now anyway…"_

"How about you shut the bloody fuck up and let me handle this on my own."

"_Oh? But you aren't handling it alone. You're already using 'my' power, aren't you?"_

"Shut up…"

As the crashing sound drew closer, I readied myself as well.

"_Sigh…when will you ever learn…you can't beat me, 'Kousuke'."_

"▄█▅██▃▃▄!"

"I BLOODY HELL CAN, 'KOUSUKE'!"

Once more, I charge tackled Berserker like when I rescued Shirou, crashing through almost two dozen trees before coming to a stop while Berserker landed a short distance away.  
"One…life…down…"

My name is Kousuke, written as '耕助' in kanji.

But there is another me. My Inversion Impulse…my inner oni, with the same name as myself. KOUSUKE, written as '紅助'.

He does not lie. When I use my Crimson Red Vermillion, I am drawing on his power. And the rare times I do, he always tried to take control of my body. Normally he is dormant, unable to speak (to me in my mind), only giving off signs of aggression which manifests as slight mental and physical pains in my body when I stop taking my offerings of blood to him.

"Ghk…"

But right now, at this stage he is already on the verge of breaking loose. Normally by now, he would have already broken free. But with Caster's special but incomplete offering, he is still slightly restrained. As Berserker began to get up, he spoke again.

"_Even if you managed to finish him here, do you think that you can defeat the black swordsman your beloved fox is currently fighting right now? Even if you go to their aid, can you beat her with this headache of yours? Come on, use me. Let me use your body, and I will crush every single one of them to dust."_

"Does 'every single one of them' include Tamamo."

"_Well…you know me, I might 'accidentally' do something~ But I'm not a liar, you know that."_

"Then the deal is off-"

My body and mind were wracked with pain again as Berserker finally got to his feet, having regenerated with his last life.

"-but…I have no choice…do I?"

"_That's the ticket."_

As I felt my body and mind being taken over, I gave him my last retaliation as I prepared to release everything.

"But…TO HELL WITH YOU IF YOU THINK I'LL LET YOU HAVE MY BODY!"

"_WHY YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SH-"_

"▅▅▅██▃▃▄██▄▄▅█▅▅▅▂▄██!"

And the world exploded.

XXX

-Caster-

"Kyōsō Enbu!"

Materialising a long, cross-shaped sword of violent violet prana, I threw it at Saber like a shuriken, who managed to dodge around it while the sword continued, exploding behind her and decimating the whole area. As she dashed forward, I cast my counter.

"Ondekobachi: Butsugirihasami!"

And Saber was forced to block with her sword in an impossible position as I wielded a giant pair of razor-sharp lightning scissors with the sole aim of decapitating her. Releasing the scissors suddenly, I leapt backwards into the air and cast a wide range spell.

"Hokuto Kotsu Saizan!"

Seven shining orbs appeared at Saber's feet in the formation of the Northern Dipper and immediately, seven blinding beams of prana shot upward from the orbs, engulfing Saber.

"Haa…haa…"

It had only been a short while since that massive scarlet explosion occurred some distance away. Just mere seconds after that, Saber put a hole through my Rashōmon with what seemed to be her Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. After seeing that move, I knew who she was.  
"Oi, oi. As if King Arthur wasn't overpowered enough, we have to fight a corrupted powered-up version? Now that's just cheating."

I may have been tired and beaten up, but Saber was probably just as worn down as I was, maybe even more after taking so many of my spells. I was right. As the light died down, I could see that Saber was visibly damaged and her breathing was heavier than before.

"Had enough?"

"You wish."

And she ran at me again. Looks like it was time to show her another reason not to mess with me. As she grew closer in that split second, I readied myself.

"—!"

The look on Saber's face was priceless as my fist met her armored abdomen. I smiled as I heard a crack and with that one punch, I sent her flying a few metres.

"Wasn't expecting that, were you?"

"How…aren't you a Caster?!"

"Yes, I am. But I am Tamamo-no-Mae, one of Japan's Three Great Monsters. How could I deserve that title if I do not have Monstrous Strength as one of my skills?"

"Damn you—!"

In that time she said that, I used my Monstrous Strength and pushed off the ground, leaving a small crater where I stood as I propelled myself at Saber, My hands and feet were alive with searing blue flames as I called out the name of my spell.

"Jouenkobu!"

As I said those words, I battered Saber in a ten-hit combo, my Fox Dance of Purifying Flames. With the last strike, Saber was sent into a tree, causing the tree to collapse.

"Kuh…"

"So…continue?"

To be honest, I was running low on power as well. I must have used almost a dozen A~EX level spells, and I didn't want to grow a seventh tail or use my Noble Phantasm, because doing so might suddenly start to put a drain on my Master's prana.

"I've had enough," said Saber as she got to her feet. "I'll end you with thi-"

Saber never got to finish her sentence, because suddenly, a massive scarlet beam, almost twice as tall as her, just blasted past behind her. Both our faces were set in an expression of utmost shock as we saw what was left of Berserker disintegrate into dust. Then, from the direction of the beam, 'he' appeared.

"…goshujin…sama?"

I was aghast as I looked at my Master. His hair and eyes were a fiery scarlet while his sclera had turned coal black. He was surrounded by a blazing aura and things just got burnt away as he walked past them.

"…hey! Where do you think you're going!?"

As I was too preoccupied with my Master, I just only realized that Saber was sinking into a patch of Shadow, and she was already halfway through.

"…My Master is calling me. Prepare yourself Caster, for I shall finish this fight another day."

And she disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief, which then turned to worry as I looked up to see my Master walking towards me with an unfathomable expression. Finally, he stood in front of me.

"…Kousuke?"

After staring impassively at me for a few seconds, he grabbed my neck with his right hand and lifted me into the air.

"Guark- Master, stop! Come to *cough* your senses!"

He was still staring at me with those blank eyes of his. As I stared back, I didn't even need to enter his mind to see what was happening inside him. Right now, my Kousuke was fighting for dominance against his inner oni as he was desperately trying to snatch control of his body.

"Kousuke, fight it! You can *ubh* beat him!"

I had a strong urge to pry myself free using Monstrous Strength, but I was worried. Firstly, I didn't want to hurt my Master ('s body). And secondly, I was in an incredibly precarious position. If I make any movements, his oni might notice and crush my neck before I could do anything, and that would be game over.

"Ah…"

And I could see a different problem approaching. The black mud of the shadow was slowly creeping up on us. But with a stomp of Kousuke's foot a wave of heat rushed along the ground which just incinerated the mud. That lapse in concentration towards me was my only chance.

"I'm sorry Master. Taizoukai Mandara!"

As I said those words, a small, pale blue barrier expanded outwards from me in a spherical form. Instantly I felt my Master's grip loosen as he instantly crumpled to the forest ground, dropping me too.

"Haah…I'm sorry…Master…"

Taizoukai Mandara, one of the two Mandara barriers I am able to use, but only together with my Noble Phantasm. Without it, the range is greatly reduced. The Taizoukai Mandara is a barrier which will purge all mental interference from those within it. It has no effect whatsoever on physical beings and can only remove all foreign nonphysical prana from within the barrier.

The other, Kongoukai Mandara, is the opposite. It forcibly removes all foreign physical beings and existences from within the barrier. It damages and forces out all enemies and at the same time exorcises all evil entities within in. Anyone whom I deem as my allies will be perfectly fine.

As for what I just did to my Master, my Taizoukai Mandara had effectively removed the interference of Kousuke's inner oni from his mind. It's impossible to remove the inner oni completely, because it is a part of my Master, they are not separate entities. One cannot live without the other. All I've done is simply put, 'knocked both of them unconscious'. But when goshujin-sama comes to, he will be in control because his Crimson Red Vermillion had already ended.

Suddenly, I felt the fur of my tail and ears rise as I sensed the evil presence of the Shadow returning.

"I have to get us out of here, fast."

As I lifted my Master onto my back with some effort, some help came in an incredibly unexpected form.

"You're-!"

"Need a hand?"

* * *

After an eternity, I have finally finished Chapter 9! [Throws confetti] The fic is definitely coming to a close soon, and I will try my best to churn out the next chapters as soon as possible! As always, thank you for reading, please review and stay fluffy.

OMAKE: Tamamo's Super Fluffy Japanese Test! 2

Hi, it's me again! Once more, I feel that it will definitely be a while before the next chapter comes out, so while you wait you can match all the spells from Chapters 8 and 9 to their respective kanji here! Good luck~!

白断結壁

八爻双崖

鬼火玉

狐葉楔

太極陰陽玉

不精独楽

羅生門・剣劇 無量

鬼太鼓桴・仏斬鋏

浄炎狐舞

百鬼・烈日の破邪

九相輪殺

鬼太鼓・乱れ打ち

金剛界曼荼羅

平安京の扉・羅生門

凶騒円舞

邪炎龍

北斗骨砕斬

紅蓮鳳凰剣

胎蔵界曼荼羅


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Hounded**

Disclaimer: I don't own TM and all affiliates

* * *

-Kousuke-

-Day 15, 14th December, Night-

"…!"

Once again, I jolted out of the futon with a start and instantly, I felt a short jab of pain course through my whole body.

"Goshujin, you're awake!"

I looked up to see the face of my Servant, worried but nevertheless completely fine.

"Tamamo…we made it out?"

"Yes, we did, thanks to Rider."

"Rider? She was there?!"

It turned out that after I finished Berserker and Saber left, I fell unconscious. Caster was about to carry my body out of the forest (in which I am reminded that even a Caster with a low Strength ranking is much stronger than an average human) when suddenly Rider appeared to lend a hand.

After the three of us reached the road, Tamamo stopped a driver and hypnotized him to drive us back to Shirou's house, calling Shirou and Ilya on the way back to confirm our safety.

"…I was unconscious all the way back up till now?"

"Yes, but don't worry, Kousuke! I took the absolute best care of you!"

I rubbed my temples.

"But…I don't know why…I sort of remember everything now…but there's something still missing…!"

As that memory hit me with the force of a meteor, I blanched and looked straight at Tamamo.

"I…tried to kill you…"

At those words, Caster immediately approached me and flung her arms around my neck.

"No, Kousuke, it wasn't you! It was the oni inside you!"

I shook my head and pushed her away so that I could look her in the face.

"Tamamo…I know that's not it. It's not entirely his fault. I too, am partially to blame for having to fight him so much inside of me and ended up losing control."

"But-"

"No, Tamamo. But don't worry…I won't let this go on any longer. Soon…I'll have to have a talk with him."

At those words, I got up and changed into the clothes Tamamo had folded and left aside for me.

"Caster, cast aside your doubts, your worries and your fears. I am Yagami Kousuke, 13th head of the Yagami family of magus, samurai, shinobi and mixed bloods; and I swear upon my name that I will be the only one to have ultimate control over myself!"

"Kousuke…yes…you're right…you are and will always be my Master and the man I have decided to pledge my life to. As long as I am by your side, I will protect you from anything and everything…including yourself."

I smiled.

'Well then…it's time to go. We have a war to finish!"

"Aaaaaaaah wait goshujin-sama! I forgooot something!"

"Ugeh!"

At Caster's shout, I who was about to step over the threshold of the room paused abruptly and literally tripped and fell over nothing, the sound of which brought someone running.

"Kousuke, you're up?!"

"Ah, Rin…yes, I am. Tama-, Caster, what is it?"

"Earlier, Ilya told us important information about the Grail and since you couldn't be present, I went and listened to everything, so now I have to pass it on to you."

"Ok, how?"

"Like this~chu~"

As Caster planted a kiss on my forehead, the memories and information from Ilya's words at the dining table flooded my mind.

"Under Ryuudouji…I can't believe it. It's been under us for the past two weeks and we never noticed."

"Well actually, I've always felt something was off since the past week, and lately we haven't been there, so…yeah."

I got up.

"So, you're leaving for the temple at midnight. I understand. I guess Caster and I should get going soon."

"Soon? For what?"

I looked at Rin.

"We too have preparations to make. And don't worry, we won't go ahead without you. In fact, Caster and I already have plans. We won't be going down with you."

At that, the two of them looked at me.

"You won't?"

"We won't?"

I nodded.

"Yes. We have to stay on guard for any anomalies above ground, but if you are in dire need of our help, you can contact us with Caster's beads."

"Since when did you plan this, goshujin-sama?"

"Since just now."

The two girls fell silent and looked at me with confused eyes.

"I just have a feeling…that we might need someone up top."

Rin sighed.

"Ok…I understand, we won't interfere. But let me tell you this, Yagami. If any damn thing gets past you and attacks us or the city, I'm gonna give you hell when I get back."

I smiled and turned to leave.

"Of course, Tohsaka."

XXX

-Day 16, 15th December, shortly after midnight, Ryuudouji-

Halfway up the temple stairs I sat, deep in thought. Surprisingly, when Tamamo and I arrived at the temple, nothing attacked us, but the presence of horrid mana was everywhere, and it was especially thick around the lake. The entrance to the caverns where the Greater Grail lies was just a few metres to my right, having let Shirou, Rin and Rider pass through a few minutes ago. By any standards, it was a beautiful night despite the probable destruction of the world. A waning gibbous moon hung in the night sky as the leaves of the forest shook in the wind.

"Heh…looks like it's now my turn to become the guardian of this gate eh…Kojirou…"

"Goshujin-sama?"

I heard footsteps approach as Tamamo's voice drifted down towards me.

"Tamamo…is it ready?"

"Yes…here."

Handing me a sakazuki, Tamamo knelt gracefully and poured me sake from a gourd. I took a whiff and smiled.

"I'm amazed, Tamamo. You've produced such an amazing sake in only five days."

""You're praising me too much, Kousuke~"

Most people with strong oni blood usually need some way of controlling it. In my family, we do this by supplementing our diet with blood packs. The stronger the oni, the more frequently we have to take them. But that only serves to suppress the oni. There is in fact a substance that can actually tame, pacify and even let us control our oni blood.

That substance is sake.

But no ordinary sake will do. Normally drinking any sake is fine, but drinking cheap or normal sake when the oni blood is agitated will result in it becoming increasingly agitated. Therefore, only sake of the higher and highest grade and quality can sate the lust of the oni.

However, KOUSUKE was definitely much stronger than any other, so there probably would be no other way to satisfy him short of the sake of the gods.

Which is what I have attempted and might have succeeded in doing.

Right after returning to the temple from Shirou's house, I asked Tamamo if she had any sake bugs on her. Sake bugs, or shuchuu are minor youkai, companions of the oni created by a crystallization of their technology that is able to turn small amounts of water into sake in a night. However, the sake created from them has a complex and somewhat-unrefined taste. Therefore, I have asked for Tamamo to put full use to her Item Construction skill as well as her own knowledge to produce the best sake she could ever create. Thus, with three sake bugs formed from her own power and a few special ingredients, the sake had to ferment for five days and five nights for it to reach its full flavor.

Taking a sip from the sakazuki, I tasted the liquid before swallowing it, feeling it as it flowed through my throat.

"Tamamo. Without a doubt, this is the best sake I have ever tasted. No, this gourd of sake may currently be the best sake in existence right now."

"Go~shu~jin~sa~maaa~!"

Ignoring Tamamo's delighted squeals, I sighed and closed my eyes as I mentally prepared myself for the ordeal that was to come.

It was time for us to talk.

XXX

When I opened my eyes again, the world had changed in its entirety. I was now in the compound of a large traditional Japanese home. Most of the building was on the right and back side of the compound while the left was dominated by a garden including a large koi pond complete with a small bridge. On the other side of the pond was a large sakura tree, its branches heavy with pink cherry blossoms overhanging the pond, their petals being slightly blown off by the gentle breeze.

Yes. This was my inner world. It wasn't much, but it is also where he made his home. I had only ventured here three times before. The first was in a dream when I was four. That time, I had only caught a slight glimpse of him. The second was when I was ten, and when my oni powers went slightly out of control. That was the first time I had met him face to face and had spoken. This was my third time here, as well as my first time coming here of my own volition.

"Yo. It's been a while."

Standing on the bridge, looking right at me was KOUSUKE. He looked and was dressed exactly like me, except that his hair and iris were scarlet, his sclera was black and he had two small blackish-red horns protruding from his hair, near the top of his forehead. Also, he spoke in Kansai dialect while I spoke normally.

"Looks like ya brought the good stuff eh. Well, let's have a drink then."

I followed him and we sat on the porch of the main bedroom, overlooking the pond. Now and then, a koi would leap out of the water and elegantly dive back in, spreading ripples across the calm mirror-like surface of the water. Pouring both of us a drink from the gourd I carried in my arms upon my arrival, we both drank at the same time.

"Ooh, now this is definitely what I've been wanting all these years. That fox o' yers sure makes a mean drink."

"Thanks."

Short silence.

"So…it's about to end. The grand finale of that war you're having."

"It'll all end tonight."

"So, what did'cha come here for? It definitely wasn't just to chat and have a drink, right."

"Well…first off…is there anything else I can call you?"

"Huh?"

"Calling you KOUSUKE just feels…weird. I don't consider you as the same entity as me."

"Well neither do I. As for other names…Benisuke will do."

"Benisuke…I see."

"So, whaddaya want from me."

"Borrow me your power, Benisuke. Just this one night, in exchange for this sake, lend me your power without me entering Crimson Red Vermillion."

Benisuke fell silent, gazing into his sakazuki at his own reflection.

"…Benisuke."

"You do know what will happen if I give you my power as a human, right."

"…"

Yes…I did. A normal human body cannot withstand the power of an oni under normal circumstances. My muscles would tear, my bones would break, and my organs would rupture. Overuse would lead to death.

"Are you that adverse to transforming into an oni?"

"Yes!" I replied as my hands shook a bit. "Every single time I had an Inversion Impulse, someone I care about would get hurt, and that's only because I have to stop you from taking control of my body!"

It seemed so odd then. For once, our roles were reversed. I was the one in anger, and he was completely calm.

"Even…Even if it's just a bit. I want just enough to protect Tamamo. Shirou, Rin, everyone. Don't you get it, if we don't stop Angra Mainyu here, not even you will have a world left to exist in!"

Benisuke just downed his sake and poured more for himself while I suddenly deflated as I felt my rage leave me.

"Can't…can't the two of us just live in peace?"

"Live in peace, huh…if only it were that easy…I thirst ta see the world outside with my own eyes. As long as I'm here…the only way I can do it is by takin over yer body."

"Benisuke…"

"But, you're right. If we fail here, I won't even have a world to be in anymore. So I'll help. I'll give ya as much power as ya can take, got it?"

With a grin, he turned to me and held out his fist.

"Let's knock the stuffing out of those fuckers."

"…Yeah."

We drank again. Suddenly, something came to mind and I decided to ask.

"Hey, Benisuke."

"What?"

"I don't know if you would know, but…you wouldn't happen to know who was the oni the third head married? You know, the one if not for her you wouldn't be here?"

"Hmm? Well…I don't really remember or know, but I think she was the smallest of the Four Devas of the Mountain, and…hmm…"

Suddenly, Benisuke's face changed sharply as he looked at something in the distance.

"…Looks like our meeting is gonna hafta be cut short, Kousuke."

"…Something's coming."

Benisuke got up.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted, but you should get going. I'm countin' on ya, Kousuke."

I smiled.

"Yeah. Make sure you back me up, or we're not gonna be able to have a drink like this again."

And the world faded to white.

XXX

I awoke with a start as I felt the presence of an enemy-

"From the lake?!"

"Hurry, goshujin-sama!"

"Alright!"

-Ryuudouji Front-

We didn't have to go all the way to the lake. As we reached the front of the temple, we saw a figure burst out from the lake and speedily make its way towards us. I had a split second to draw Yattsugami before I was assaulted by numerous speedy strikes from the front.

"Kousuke!"

But I held on. Through a combination of Reinforcement kanji on my clothes, my Mystic Eyes of Reinforcement, Tamamo's full body Reinforcement as well as Benisuke's power coursing through me I managed to deflect the blows from my attacker.

"Renkūdan!"

My opponent dodged as Tamamo shot a massive sphere of compressed air that exploded as it hit the forest wall. Also, the wind generated by the spell blew away the thin shroud of shadowy mist in the surrounding area, giving us a clear view of the battlefield, and the enemy.

"You! You're supposed to be dead!"

He smiled a cocky grin at us.

"Well then, too bad I'm not eh!"

The figure who stood in front of us was none other than Lancer. But he was…different. His blue armor was now as black as shadow, and was lined with red in stark contrast. Now, there was an even more feral, hungry look in his eyes as compared to before.

"You were killed by Zouken's Assassin and consumed by the Shadow. I know that the Shadow…or Sakura can take control and alter Servants like Saber, but that's only when they are devoured alive. You were dead when you were swallowed, right."

"Well yeah, that skull bastard actually tore out and ate my heart in front of me. But can you imagine my luck. I was devoured, but for some reason wasn't completely assimilated yet. I was waiting for god knows how long when suddenly, believe it or not, I found my heart! And here I am!"

"I guess that means that Assassin has been finally killed, Kousuke."

"The past does not matter now. All that matters is we will stop you from getting past us to where Shirou and the others are, Lancer!"

"Hah? I have no interest in that," he said nonchalantly while picking his ear.

"…huh?"

A moment of bewilderment nearly cost me my life as Lancer suddenly dashed at me with the intent to kill. Japanese steel met Irish steel as my katana and his spear clashed in a flurry of strikes. Seconds after the exchange of blows, our weapons met in a deadlock as we faced each other.

"In fact, I doubt that anyone even knows, or cares that I'm brought back to life! Right here, right now, all I care about is catching up on all the fighting I've been missing, so prepare yourself, Master of Caster! I've about to give you the beating of your life!"

Despite the direness of the situation, I couldn't help but smile as I felt my oni blood bubble and boil.

"Bring it on, Cú Chulainn!"

XXX

Oblivious to the events occurring deep below the earth, the two warriors clashed furiously, sending the ringing sound of steel on steel throughout the vicinity while the fox maiden cast mystics upon them, strengthening one and weakening the other.

"Jidou Rensha: Shishousou!"

At the words of her spell, a pair of glowing orbs formed beneath Tamamo's palms and flew towards Lancer on their own accord, where they began rapidly shooting amethyst shards at him.

"Oi, you're getting annoying, Caster! Just let me have a one-on-one fight with-"

"Yagami-ryu Kenjustu: Gekkazakuro!"

At the moment Lancer's attention was drawn by Caster's attack, Kousuke immediately followed up with his own move. With a quick leap into the air, he drew his katana and brought it down onto Lancer, who shifted gears and brought his spear up to block it while dodging backwards to avoid the shards. However, as Kousuke landed, he followed up his first slash with another slash upwards, causing Lancer to dodge into the path of the shards. Despite that, the damage was minimal due to Lancer's Magic Resistance.

"Sorry Lancer, but we're not fighting just for the sake of it."

As he spoke, Lancer dashed at Kousuke and engaged him in a wild frenzy, forcing him to go on the defensive again.

"We're fighting to win, no matter what it takes, and we'll use every trick in the book if it means defeating you! Yagami-ryu Kenjustu: Midarezakura!"

In a sudden incredible burst of speed after muttering the technique's name, Kousuke dashed past Lancer and with deft movements, sliced with his katana to leave a trail of sword slashes in his wake, as if he was slicing through scattered cherry blossoms fluttering through the wind.

"!"

All that happened in a split second, and although Lancer was not able to evade the attack, he was able to immediately retaliate and thrust his spear at Kousuke, which met its mark.

"Kh-!"

It was literally one-for-one. While blood oozed from the numerous cuts all over Lancer, Kousuke bled somewhat profusely from the stab wound in the back of his left shoulder. As it was, the battle continued. Sparks flew as Kousuke's body reflexively swung Yattsugami to meet Lancer's spear, which was being repeatedly thrust at him faster than a normal human could see.

"Tch, I need some distance. Kazaguruma!"

With a sudden backwards leap, Kousuke let off an almost instantaneous upwards slice at the same time, causing the pursuing Lancer to back up for a split second, and when he did, Kousuke muttered a three-count aria and raised his left hand.

"Hadō: Daichi Tenyō!"

As he called out the name of the spell, large chunks of the stone floor and earth beneath it suddenly broke free of the ground beneath Lancer and flew into the air, causing him to lose his balance, even for the shortest of periods.

"Caster, now!"

"Alright, Shishi Heikō!"

"Wha-Ghargh!"

In a flash, Tamamo shot a white ball from her fist, which immediately unfolded into the gaping maw of a lion and continued to speed towards Lancer. As Lancer was too focused on Kousuke, the large chunks of ground flying upwards from under him and the crystal shards still shooting at him, the lightning-fast sealing spell caught him off guard, slamming into him and pinning him on the wall. Freed from Lancer's relentless attacks, Kousuke dashed back to Caster's side to attack.

"Gojū Majin:-"

As the words of the high-level spell was cast, five glowing magic circles appeared in a tower formation above Lancer, who was trying to force his way out from behind the lion's head. Already, he had broken out his left arm from the seal, an amazing feat for the seal itself is not just solid but also reinforced with Tamamo's mana.

"Yagami-ryu Kenjustu: Hatou Rindou!"

"-Matenrou!"

However, Lancer did not manage to break out on time, for Tamamo's spell had finished charging and a massive beam of prana, fired from the first circle and amplified by the bottom four descended upon Lancer, decimating both the seal and the wall it was attached to while with a blinding flash of his katana and a bit of od, Kousuke drew his katana in a quick slash to release a shockwave which sped towards Lancer. Both attacks culminated upon Lancer and as the beam faded, the area was obscured with dust from the rubble.

"…did we get him?" gulped Tamamo.

There was no indication at all. But at that moment, an instinctual warning, honed by years of kendo flashed through Kousuke's mind and he dashed right into dust. With a stroke of his sword, he cut through the air, causing Lancer to burst out of the dust cloud to the left.

"I know your Noble Phantasm, Lancer. The Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death, Gáe Bolg. If it causes instant death just by saying its name…then I just won't give you time say it!"

Despite the fact that Lancer was visibly injured, his rabid smile grew even wider as the blood-red mana surrounding his spear faded away.

"Excellent…this is excellent! Very well, we'll just see how good you're at at stopping my spear, Kousuke!"

XXX

"Urgh!"

"Kousuke! Get away! Rikugoku Raikōha!"

Kousuke, bleeding from a puncture wound to the right side of his body, fell back as Tamamo moved in front of him as Lancer dashed forward. With her spell cast, six orbs of electricity forming the points of a hexagon formed in front of her and fired six streams of condensed lightning simultaneously, four of them hitting Lancer squarely causing him to fall back.

"Kousuke, are you alright?"

"Yeah, this is- nothing."

After minutes of fighting, the battle had clearly taken a toll on both fighters. While the combined efforts of both Servant and Master had managed to prevent Lancer from activating his Noble Phantasm, it was not without fail. Kousuke was still a human, and despite all his empowerments, the Heroic Spirit had still managed to surpass his guard and inflict some wounds on him. Lancer himself however had also taken a significant amount of damage, bleeding from multiple successfully inflicted slash wounds and his body charred and injured from Caster's bombardment. With a sharp intake of breath, Lancer spoke.

"Heh…you're not too bad yourself. And now I'm also pretty sure that you ain't a full human, am I right?"

"Yup, you got me there."

"So lad, when do I get to see what you're hiding inside? And I'm pretty curious about the lassie's Noble Phantasm as well."

"You are? So am I. Hah…I've only seen one of them myself."

"Goshuujin-sama, hold on!"

"I'm ok Caster, just stick on some band-aids and I'm good to go."

Kousuke gave a snort at his own words, and looked at Lancer as he gave a menacing grin as he backed up.

"Well then…if you're not going to show it to me…then I'm gonna have to force it out of you!"

Suddenly, Lancer accelerated in a massive burst of speed and leaped, straight into the air, a distance so ridiculous that Kousuke could only gape.

"Shit, Caster, he's charging something, we need to-"

"izumo ni kami ari"

Without him noticing, Caster's body had started to overflow with prana as her voice suddenly changed completely, becoming more serious than Kousuke had ever heard before.

"shinbi ni tashikani tama ni ibuki o

sanga suiten ni amaterasu

kokoni jizai ni shite misogi no akashi

na o tamamo no shizu ishi

shinpo uka no kagami ni nari"

In the air, Lancer's body glowed a bloody red as he focused all of his magical energy into his spear. Meanwhile, unlimited waves of prana surged forth from Tamamo's body, engulfing the entire area in a violet glow as her mirror spun around her. Seemingly from nowhere, countless ofuda were summoned and levitated around her in a circle and as she chanted, a number of glowing torii materialized, charging both Tamamo and her mirror with energy. In a massive flash of azure light, Kousuke blinked and when he reopened his eyes, he looked at his Servant like he had never seen her before.

"Tama…mo?"

Tamamo's hair was now free of their bindings, and it had grown much longer, ribbons of it swaying gracefully around her. Upon her head rested a gold ornament, shaped similarly to a lotus flower. Three golden ornaments on each side of her head, took the shape of butterflies, with a short string of gold beads interspaced with simple flowers hanging from them which ended in a bell. Her clothing had changed as well. As compared to her previous state of dress where her kimono left her legs bare and her arms having separated sleeves, her kimono now covered everything up to the middle of her chest including her hands and she wore a gold choker on her neck. In her right hand she held a bunch of susuki grass and behind her, her nine tails swayed slightly, glowing gold from the amount of mana being absorbed into her.

To Kousuke's eyes, as she was right now, she was the most beautiful being that he had ever laid eyes on.

Of course all this occurred in an immensely short period of time, and above them, Lancer had finished charging and then- he struck.

"The Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death: Gáe Bolg!"

Arching his back, he hurled Gáe Bolg towards the ground with all his might. Rather than dispatching his foe with absolute accuracy, its focus as a technique was simply to just destroy the whole area along with his enemies in a carpet bombing fashion, causing massive destruction. Due to being hurled with all his energy, it cannot be dodged or blocked under normal circumstances.

However, the circumstances were far from normal.

"Suiten Nikkou Amaterasu Yanoshisu Ishi: Yata no Kagami!"

Tamamo no Mae's Noble Phantasm, the Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu on the Weight Stone under the Sunlit Watery Heavens, a sacred regalia among sacred regalia, which was enshrined at Izumo after being brought from heaven by Takehinateru no Mikoto, which possibly later came to be known as the Yata no Kagami, the divine repository of Amaterasu. The energy drawn in allows her to use her abilities without the need to expend any magical energy for a limited time. It should be a divine treasure of the land of the dead that can even bring the deceased back to life, but as a Servant, Tamamo is unable to tap into that much power.

But, as she was summoned in her homeland, using the right catalyst and by a competent and compatible Master, she had gained some extra powers. By using her Noble Phantasm, she had been ascended to her true form while she still existed on the mortal plane, and is also able to tap into a new arsenal of spells, unusable without the activation of her Noble Phantasm and far stronger than her regular spells.

At her words, her mirror, suddenly expanded many times its regular size, acted as a shield, which was prudent for Gáe Bolg, travelling at Mach 2, slammed squarely into the centre of the mirror, caused a massive shockwave of crimson mana to burst outwards, tearing up the stone tiles and earth from the ground as any nearby structures were completely decimated by the sheer force of the strike.

"I won't lose to you, Hound of Chulainn! I, Tamamo no Mae, facet of Amaterasu, will take your strongest attack dead on and repel it!" she all but yelled to the heavens.

Despite being behind Tamamo, Kousuke still winced from the force of the ongoing clash. The Yata no Kagami, a sacred mirror that is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, represents 'wisdom' or 'honesty'. In Japanese mythology, this mirror was one of the items used to lure Amaterasu out from a cave, and were later passed down to Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto when he went to pacify Japan. In Tamamo's hands, she boasts that it is her ultimate defensive Noble Phantasm which is said to repel any attack.

If this battle were to be held in Ireland, Gáe Bolg would have been able to penetrate the mirror, albeit with much difficulty. However, in her homeland, Tamamo was drawing on a near infinite supply of mana from nature to supplement her already monstrous mana supply, while Lancer, although supported in some manner by Angra Mainyu, would still be unable to overcome the amount of mana taken from the world itself.

In a few seconds that seemed like eternity, there was a massive flash of crimson light and the sound of glass breaking as Gáe Bolg deflected off Yata no Kagami, spinning through the air and embedding itself deep into the ground as its owner still remained in the air. Even so, Tamamo did not suffer no loss, for there now was a long vertical crack running down her mirror. But that was a sufficient price to pay for subverting Lancer's strongest attack, for now-

"It's time for retaliation!"

Casting away the grass she held in her right hand, Tamamo spread open her palm where a fluctuating string of azure mana manifested itself. As she concentrated, the string arched to form a circle and three glowing magatama formed on the string.

"Amaterasu no Kubiwa: Yasakani no Magatama!"

Yasakani no Magatama, another of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. It was the other item that was hung on a sakaki tree to lure Amaterasu out of the Amano-Iwato. Here however, Tamamo is simply borrowing the power from its legend to materialize it as a destructive spell used to annihilate her enemies. As she flung the magatama at Lancer, the spell grew it size from the size of a necklace to the size of Lancer himself, colliding with him in the air in a massive explosion of azure light of such force that if it was any closer to the ground, Ryuudouji would have been blown apart.

But she was not done yet. From the information given by Lancer's stats, Tamamo knew that Lancer had the Protection from Arrows skill, and thus her projectile spell would not have done full damage, and therefore, raising both arms to the heavens, she cried out the name of her next spell that would surely defeat him.

"Ame no Ohabari: Totsuka no Tsurugi!"

At those words, a giant sword of deep orange mana burst forth from her arms, extending far into the sky. It had the general shape of a tsurugi, but its edges flickered like a flame. Borrowing the power of the numerous legends of the sword, among which were the sword used by Izanagi to kill his son, Kagutsuchi and the sword of Susanoo, used to slay Yamata no Orochi; Tamamo swung her arms downwards, slamming the sword downwards into Lancer. The point of connection between the sword and Lancer was further down the blade, and as the sword smashed him into the temple grounds, the rest of the sword which extended far beyond that carved a massive gouge into the forested hillside, shaking the earth as it faded away.

Finally, after being shocked speechless by Tamamo's display of power, Kousuke spoke up.

"Is he…defeated?"

Without answering, Caster's body glowed as her outfit and hair returned to their original appearance, the golden glow fading away from her tails which remained. The surrounding ofuda and torii vanished as well, leaving a violet Oriental magic circle on the ground, probably so that Caster could call it up again immediately assuming the worst case scenario.

"…Be careful, Master."

With bated breath, both Master and Servant stayed alert as the smoke cleared. However, the first thing that reached their senses was not sight, but a sound. Caster gulped while Kousuke looked slightly mortified as the smoke cleared, resulting in a gruesome sight to accompany the sound.

"What…is happening to him?" questioned Kousuke.

As he was struck by two of Tamamo's strongest spells, Lancer was battered, bruised, broken and bloody. But still he stood. A guttural growl escaped his fanged mouth as his body began to transform. His muscle mass swelled to almost triple as the sounds of bones cracking and flesh tearing could be heard, the self-inflicted damage caused by Lancer's transformation turning his body into a disproportionate figure. His damaged right eye simply fell out of its socket and laid upon his cheek, hanging on by just a ligament; while his left eye was sucked so deep into his head that a crane couldn't even be able to peck it out. His cheeks peeled back from his jaws till his gullet was visible, his lower jaw stuck the upper a lion-killing blow, and fiery flakes as large as a ram's fleece reached his mouth from his throat.

The terrifying transformation undergone by Cú Chulainn was none other than his famous 'warp spasm' or 'ríastrad', as described in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, in which after transforming he made a bloody assault on the Connacht camp, avenging the slaughtered youth corps of Ulster who came to his aid. If Cú Chulainn was summoned as a Berserker, then his ríastrad would have been his Mad Enhancement. Although the skill is unusable by him as a Lancer, his corruption by Angra Mainyu has enabled him the use of this skill.

Finally, the transformation ground to the halt. Slowly, Lancer's right eye (which was somehow still functional) turned to look at Kousuke and Tamamo. Then, without even bothering to pick up his lance, the ground beneath Lancer cracked as he made a devastatingly fast charge, even faster than before he transformed and rammed straight into Kousuke.

"Guhark!"

"GOSHUJIN-SAMA!"

A fountain of blood burst from Kousuke's mouth as the insane Lancer carried him a bit further before shoving him forward with the force from his entire body, causing Kousuke to smash straight through an ornamental boulder in Ryuudouji's side garden and then crashing into another boulder.

"No…Kousuke…Kousuke! Answer me!"

Tamamo was in a state of distress as she received no answer from her Master, both physically and mentally. But, as the dust began to clear, she heard a voice.

"Geez, stop shouting will ya? I can hear ya loud and clear."

As Tamamo froze at the familiar yet slightly unfamiliar voice, a figure burst out of the dust at a blinding speed, ramming straight into Lancer and sending him flying clear across the temple courtyard.

"No…impossible…you're…you're-!"

Scarlet eyes rested upon Tamamo as Kousuke…or his body gave her a menacing grin.

"Yo, I don't think we've met yet. The name's Benisuke, nice to meet'cha."

XXX

Tamamo couldn't tear her eyes away from him. Instead of her Master, there now stood an oni before her, appearing exactly as he did within Kousuke's inner world.

"You…what did you do to Kousuke! I can't get any connection from him at all!"

"Tch, relax, kitsune! We've already had an agreement. I'm lendin' him my powers for tonight, since if he kicks the bucket, I'm a goner as well."

"How can I believe you!"

"_Tamamo, Benisuke isn't lying._"

"Kousuke!"

"_The split second before Lancer charged me, Benisuke switched places with me so both me and my body are fine._"

"Fine my ass, that fucker hits just like an oni!"

As Tamamo concentrated, she noticed that she could still feel a connection to her Master, but it was faint, like as though it was blocked by a firewall.

"Oi kitsune, look sharp. He's comin back fer more."

Feeling disgruntled at being addressed simply as 'kitsune', Tamamo readied herself but at the same time, shot Benisuke a dirty look.

"I have a name you know. Do you want me to just keep calling you oni as well."

"I don't mind, but it's Benisuke. Looks like we're gonna have fun tonight, Tamamo-chan."

Right as he said those words, there was an unintelligible yell as Lancer jumped through the air, Gáe Bolg once more in hand and made a beeline for Benisuke, who just grinned and caught Lancer's arm in a grip that could easily crush a girder. It seemed ridiculous that Lancer with his massive bulk was being stopped by person much smaller than him.

"Here-we-gooo!"

Suddenly letting go of Lancer, Benisuke sidestepped as Lancer stumbled. Following through with his motion, he hit Lancer with a massive roundhouse kick, sending him flying. But Lancer's riastrad was not for show. Landing nimbly on his feet, Lancer charged once more, this time swinging and thrusting his lance at Benisuke with enough force for just one strike to tear a massive hole in a truck. Using nothing but his bare hands, Benisuke blocked and deflected the majority of the hits, but one got through his guard and met its mark, leaving a gouge across his torso as he was pushed back a short distance, his feet pressed against the stone floor with such force to leave a trail.

"Benisuke, stop him for me!"

"Alright!"

As told to by Tamamo, Benisuke recovered and dashed around to grab Lancer from behind, who immediately attempted to throw him off.

"Now Tama!"

"Seikō Bakuretsuzan!"

Several shining motes of white mana spun around Tamamo before soaring over to surround Lancer. Benisuke immediately shoved Lancer into the ground at the right timing, as the motes slammed into Lancer repeatedly before colliding into him simultaneously, causing a small but strong explosion of mana.

"Atta girl!"

Immediately after, Benisuke ran forward and threw a punch into the explosion, causing Lancer to collide with the ground again, creating yet another small crater on the temple grounds.

"Ugh!"

This time, from his crouched position on the ground, Lancer simply pounced upwards like a wild beast and struck Benisuke hard with his elbow, resulting in a small gout of blood spurting from his mouth. Recovering instantly, Benisuke stood firmly as he punched forward with his fist, shooting of a triad of heat beams which burnt through anything in their wake, successfully burning a clean hole through the massive mass of muscle above Lancer's shoulder.

"Heh."

Lancer paused for a while as he inspected Benisuke like a wild animal inspecting an enemy, his disgustingly warm and fetid breath condensing in the cold December air.

"What's wrong, too scared to move?"

It seemed like despite the ríastrad, Lancer could still respond to provocation for at Benisuke's words, he roared and charged at him while flailing his lance blindly. While Benisuke was able to defend against Lancer's attacks, any hit would still be damaging. Once more, their hands locked in a death-grip as they ended up face-to-face in another stand-off.

"God, yer breath reeks, get some fuckin' breath mints will ya!"

Breaking out of the deadlock, they both resumed beating the absolute shit out of which other without moving one step from their positions. The speed of Benisuke's punches and Lancer's strikes were immense enough to blow away all debris that was surrounding them. Finally, the exchanged ended in way of both their fists colliding with each other's faces accompanied by the sickening sound of bones cracking. The two were blown apart from each other by the force of their punches, landing a distance from each other.

"Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi: Kusanagi!"

"Tamamo?!"

Another spell usable only with Tamamo's Suiten Nikkou Amaterasu Yanoshisu Ishi activated, she calls forth the power of the third Imperial Regalia of Japan, the Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven, Kusanagi which represents the virtue of 'valor'. When Susanoo slew the Yamata-no-Orochi, he discovered a sword within the fourth tail of the serpent, which he presented to Amaterasu to settle an old grieviance. Generations later, the Kusanagi was given to the great warrior Yamato Takeru by his aunt in order to protect him in times of peril. Now, in her right hand, Tamamo held an incredibly long, thin sword made of green mana. Even when moved the tiniest bit, it seemed to cause the air around it to vibrate and waver.

"Eaaat this!"

Swinging the incredibly long sword at Lancer, he evaded it by ducking under the diagonal slash. Behind him, every tree within range of the sword was sliced cleanly along the sword's path, resulting in the top halves of the tree to slightly slide down the cut side before falling to the ground.

"I'm not done yet!"

As Tamamo repeatedly attempted to cut Lancer, he nimbly and deftly dodged all her stacks despite his massive bulk.

"Hah!"

With her last stroke, she made a mighty horizontal swing, which was completely avoided by Lancer leaping straight into the air. However, Ryuudouji, which was behind Lancer before he jumped, was cleanly sliced in half. Holding true testament to the blade's powers and sharpness, the temple was cut so cleanly and perfectly that it did not even collapse on itself. It was truly a sword holding the power of wind.

"Tch, get down he…re? Sakura?"

Benisuke was surprised as a few sakura petals fluttered by him, due to the fact that it was winter and there was not a single blooming cherry tree nearby. He turned to see Tamamo with her eyes closed standing in a casting pose, her nine tails swaying as thousands of pink, glowing cherry blossom petals materialized around her, scattering all across the area. Opening her eyes, she said the name of the spell.

"Yoshitsune Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The spell which draws upon the power of a tale, Yoshitsune Senbonzakura, one of the three most popular and famous in the kabuki repertoire. Originally written for the jōjuri puppet theater by Takeda Izumo II, Miyoshi Shōraku and Namiki Senryū I, it was adapted to kabuki the year after. It relates the tale of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, being pursued by his brother, Minamoto no Yorimoto. Yoshitsune travels with his mistress and loyal retainer Musashibou Benkei in search of three Taira generals who escaped justice at the end of the war, and who he believes may pose a threat to the shogunate. Taking in all the feelings and thoughts of its writers, actors and viewers, they are condensed into the vibrant display of a thousand cherry blossoms used to decimate the enemy.

At her command, a massive swathe of thousands of sakura petals began to rush towards Lancer. Undeterred by Lancer's jump, a simple upwards gesture from Tamamo caused the petals to chase after him even as he ascended as she uttered the last word of the spell.

"Gokei."

Instantly, the sakura petals swirled around Lancer in a spherical formation, leaving no blind spots and no possibility of escape, especially since her target was in the air. Lancer had no chance of escaping the mawscape as the sphere collapsed on itself, obliterating Lancer in a massive pink explosion of mana and causing a shockwave strong enough to blow off most of Ryuudouji's roof tiles.

"…damn, that guy's pretty damn hardy."

Benisuke watched as the bloody mass that was Lancer fell to the ground.

What he was not expecting was for that bloody mass to immediately launch itself at him the instant it touched the ground.

"Are ya fucking kiddin' me?!"

"Move, Benisuke!"

"I can take it!"

Benisuke held his ground, which resulted in a full-on collision between himself and Lancer.

"Geh…hurgh…"

Tamamo was aghast at the sight before her. Having been pushed to his limits, Lancer propelled himself past his maximum power and was able to penetrate Benisuke's solid defence, impaling Gáe Bolg straight through Benisuke's torso. Thankfully, while the warp spasm heightened all of Lancer's physical abilities, it removed his ability to activated the cursed effect of Gáe Bolg, meaning that Benisuke was simply pierced by a normal lance.

"Kou- Benisuke!"

"Ha…ha…Ahahaha!"

With a sudden burst of mirthful laughter, he firmly grasped Lancer's arm with his left hand.

"You can't run anymore, dog."

And with one single move, the oni put his hand through Lancer's chest.

"…what?!"

Only to be completely surprised, for there was no heart present within Lancer. The truth is, even Lancer had no real idea what had caused his resurrection, and had just recounted what he thought had happened. Angra Mainyu simply needed a doll to prevent Caster and her Master from advancing, and thus turned Lancer into its slave.

"Tokiyo Sakisaku Daisakkai: Higanbana Sesshōseki!"

Bringing out the Red Spider Lily Killing Stone for the second time in the war, Tamamo struck the captured Lancer with it, the curse and poison causing Lancer to glow red and flail uncontrollably.

"You're kidding me, he still won't die?!"

Benisuke just smiled.

"I guess that just means there's only one way to end this."

As he said those words, his whole body was set ablaze in his burning aura, causing even Tamamo to jump back reflexively. Using the true power of the oni, the air crackled as all the moisture surrounding the two instantly evaporated, causing massive burns and boils to erupt all over Lancer's grotesque body.

"Burn in hell, motherfucker."

Pulling out his right arm, he swung it upwards, giving Lancer a massive uppercut to the chin. As Lancer flew into the air, an enormous pillar of blazing scarlet aura exploded upwards from Benisuke, breaking through the clouds and completely incinerating Lancer till he was naught but dust.

XXX

Finally, the aura subsided, and it was finally cool enough for Tamamo to approach Benisuke.

"Is he dead."

"Yup. Truly and finally."

"Good."

With its master gone, Gáe Bolg faded from existence, leaving a pair of holes which immediately began to cauterize themselves.

"So, what now, Benisuke. Do I have to fight you in order to regain Kousuke?"

The oni just laughed and petted Tamamo's head.

"Relax, Tama. I'm not here to steal him from ya or anything. I showed up ta' save him. While I'm going to take over him one day, he's still my vessel. Right now, if I stay any longer, his life will be in danger. I've already pushed this human body to its limits today. While I'm confident that you'll be able to heal him, at this rate I'm gonna really shorten his lifespan."

Benisuke took a breath of fresh air.

"I'm gonna miss this. While Kousuke's inner world is a pretty nice place ta' stay in, nothing beats the real world."

"…thanks, Benisuke. For rescuing my Master."

"My pleasure. I definitely have too, or I'm gonna lose this body, won't I?"

"And when the time comes where you truly attempt to take over my Master's body, I will fight you to the death in order to save him."

They smiled at each other as Benisuke's horns began fading.

"Well, I guess this is it. If you ever need me, just give me a call."

"Not in a thousand years."

With a snort of laughter, Benisuke finally left the real world, and returned the body to its original owner.

Who promptly collapsed to the ground.

"Goshujin-sama!"

"Ah…god that hurts…so much…"

"What hurts, tell me, Kousuke!"

'Everything…"

As Tamamo began healing Kousuke, she sighed in relief.

"It's alright now. The only thing we can do now is rely on Shirou, Rin and Rider to defeat and save Sakura."

"Yeah…"

Those words may have been spoken too soon, for all of a sudden, an evil presence washed over the whole area.

"Tamamo, be careful!"

"Goshujin-sama!"

Suddenly, with a great splashing sound, a massive Shadow Giant burst forth from the lake, towering over Ryuudouji and the mountain. At the sight of the dark behemoth, all Kousuke could do was sigh.

"Looks like we just can't catch a break."

* * *

I finally did it. After such a long, long hiatus, I finally wrote the 10th chapter. This is nomorenamesleft, thank you for reading.

The ending will come in 3 chapters. I will try my best to write the next one as soon as possible, but with life in the way, it might take a long while before I finally get around to writing in.

Also, I have edited certain portions of the first three chapters in order to better explain and introduce Kousuke's brand of magecraft, as well as add a bit more backstory for his family.

On a side note, on February 15th, I finally rolled Tamamo in Fate/Grand Order. I almost cried when I saw the golden Caster card appear and turn around to reveal her. I wasted so much quartz during her first rate-up event that I went into despair for a week.

Once more, thank you for reading, you have no idea how much I appreciate it and I will try my best to finish the next chapter as soon as possible.

Special thanks to spiderrock for including my OC and Tamamo in his fic. I have no idea how he puts out so many chapters in such a short time.

Edit: Updated. Somehow a whole paragraph was missing.


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